The death of human capital? Its failed promise and how to renew it in an age of disruption

Human capital theory, or the notion that there is a direct relationship between educational investment and individual and national prosperity, has dominated public policy on education and labor for the past fifty years. In this book launch, chaired by Professor Nick Pearce (University of Bath), and featuring contributions from Ewart Keep (University of Oxford) and Leesa Wheelahan (University of Toronto), authors Phillip Brown (Cardiff University), Hugh Lauder (University of Bath), and Sin Yi Cheung (Cardiff University) discuss their new book 'The Death of Human Capital? Its failed promise and how to renew it in an age of disruption'. They argue that the human capital story is one of false promise: investing in learning isn’t the road to higher earnings and national prosperity. Rather than abandoning human capital theory, however, they redefine human capital in an age of smart machines. This book launch took place online on 26 November 2020.