From the perspective of economics, educational decision can be thought of as producing human capital;that is, as embodying knowledge in students that has subsequent market value through increased labor market skills, broadly conceived, upon entry into...
From the perspective of economics, educational decision can be thought of as producing human capital;that is, as embodying knowledge in students that has subsequent market value through increased labor market skills, broadly conceived, upon entry into the work force.
The purpose of ths paper is to discuss rational decision criteria for human capital investment.
The educational decision criteria can be divided into micro approaches and macro approaches. The micro approaches consist of rates of return, internal rate of return, net present value, benefit-cost ratio, cost-effectiveness. The macro approaches involve residual growth, manpower planning, social demand approach.
Rate of return is that percentage rate of return that discounts the stream of earnings expected by the student over his life cycle back to its present value and equate them to the total educational costs compounded forward to the date of graduation.
The internal rate of return is that discount rate which equates the present values of benefits and costs or the same things as sayings it is that discount rate at which the difference between the discounted value of benefits and the discounted value of costs is equal to zero.
The net present value is the difference between the present values of benifits and of costs. We had better select all projets where the present value of benefits exceeds the present value of costs.
The benefit-cost ratio means that the ratio of the present value of benefits to the present value of costs exceeds unity. A project will be worthwhile whenever B_0/C_0>1.
Cost-effetiveness analysis is a technique for measuring the relationship between the total inputs, or costs, of a project or activity, and its outputs or objectives. This method may be employed to make choice of a project from among the alternatives, where programe effects are not valued in money terms and where imputing values will be difficult.
The sources of economic growth are not only physical capital and labor but also education, health, on-the-job training. The contribution of these latter groups of factors to econonic growth is that part of the growth which can't be explained by increases in physical capital and labor inputs. The unexplained part of growth is generally termed residual growth.
Manpower planning attempts to relate manpower needs of the economy to manpower supply through education and training when planning economic development.
Social demand approach refers to the demand for education emerging from the needs and aspirations of individual persons as contrasted the educational demand based on the personnel requirements of society. The above criteria should be put educational decision in human capital investment into use.