Human Capital for Humans

An everyday introduction to the most consequential science of modern life.

University of Chicago economist Gary Becker won the Nobel Prize largely for his advancement of human capital theory—the idea that investing in a person’s knowledge and skills has a wide range of economic effects. Becker’s writing on the subject was technical, but his teaching, especially in his famous doctoral course at Chicago, remains legendary for its accessibility, brilliance, and applications to everyday life.

In Human Capital for Humans, economist and former Becker student Pablo A. Peña channels this classroom approach to produce an accessible, essential guide to understanding the science that has become synonymous with modern life and the economy. With an illustrative and immersive style, Peña unpacks the human capital approach to domains such as parenting, aging, marriage, health, and household labor. The result is not only intellectually elevated, but an essential introduction for learners and teachers of this subject across business, management, economics, policy, and beyond.