Since the pioneering work of Gary Becker, human capital has been a central topic for economists. Human capital, which includes an individual’s skills, knowledge and experience, lies at the heart of the relationship between individuals and the labour market. Indeed, investments in human capital through education, training and maintaining good health are rewarded in the labour market through earnings.
As a result, many issues related either directly or indirectly to the labour market can be examined through the concept of human capital.
These include education, at the preschool, primary, secondary, college and university levels, and its returns in terms of wages; physical and mental health and its influence on people’s capacity to earn a living; and training, whether on the job, reflected in an individual’s experience or seniority within a company, or through training and employment assistance programs.
There is also a wide range of public policies related to employment and human capital that can be assessed from this perspective: education policies, such as Quebec’s education reform, tuition fees and access to higher education; policies related to child development and women’s employment, such as Quebec’s family policy, with its subsidized childcare, childcare tax credits and the Quebec Parental Insurance Plan; and policies supporting immigrants’ integration into the labour market and the recognition of their diplomas and skills.
The Research Group on Human Capital (RGHC) studies these many dimensions of human capital using microeconomic and microeconometric approaches. The Group’s research is primarily empirical, drawing on data from Statistics Canada, the Institut de la statistique du Québec, and administrative sources (such as data from Quebec’s health insurance board).
Our Research Areas
Three thematic research areas and one cross-cutting area structure the RGHC’s research.
Economic Mobility and Its Determinants
Understanding the factors influencing economic mobility across generations and the transmission of income inequalities.
Educational Pathways and Skills
Examining how family background, socioeconomic conditions and institutions influence skills development and educational achievement.
Public Policy Evaluation
Evaluating the effects of public policies on human capital, well-being and socioeconomic inequalities.
Replicability and Development of Administrative Data
Promoting research transparency and replicability, as well as the development and use of administrative data.
