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This chapter gives in “Introduction to the Human Capital Issue” a critical analysis of the standard (economic) Human Capital (HC) theory, with the help of some “traditional” (founding) accounting concepts. From this study, to avoid the accounting and social issues highlighted in “Introduction to the Human Capital Issue,” we present, in “The “Triple Depreciation Line” Model and the Human Capital,” the “Triple Depreciation Line” (TDL) accounting model, developed by Rambaud & Richard (2015b), and we apply it to “HC,” but viewed as genuine accounting capital – a matter of concern – that firms have to protect and maintain.

From a critical review of literature on HC theory, from the origin of this concept to its connection with sustainable development, this chapter provides a conceptual discussion on this notion and on the differences/common points between capital and assets in accounting and economics. Then, it uses a normative accounting model (TDL), initially introduced to extend, in a consistent way, financial accounting to extra-financial issues.

This analysis shows at first that the standard (economic) HC theory is based on a (deliberate) confusion between assets and capital, in line with a standard economic perspective on capital. Therefore, this particular viewpoint implies: an accounting issue for reporting HC, because “traditional” accounting capital and assets are clearly isolated concepts; and a societal issue, because this confusion leads to the idea that HC does not mean that human beings are “capital” (i.e., essential), or have to be maintained, even protected, for themselves. It only means that human beings are mere productive means. The application of the TDL model to an accounting redefinition of HC allows a discussion about some key issues involved in the notion of HC, including the difference between the standard and “accounting” narratives on HC. Finally, this chapter presents some important consequences of this accounting model for HC: the disappearance of the concept of wage and the possibility of reporting repeated (or continuous) use of HC directly in the balance sheet.

This chapter contributes to the literature on HC and in general on capital and assets, by stressing in particular some confusions and misunderstandings in these concepts. It fosters a cross-disciplinary approach of these issues, through economic, accounting, and sustainability viewpoints. This analysis also participates in the development of the TDL model and the research project associated. It finally proposes another perspective, more sustainable, on HC and HC reporting.

The stakes of HC are important in today’s economics, accounting, and sustainable development. The different conceptualizations of HC, and the narratives behind it, may have deep social and corporate implications. In this context, this analysis provides a conceptual, and practicable, framework to develop a more sustainable concept of HC and to enhance working conditions, internal business relations, integrated reporting. As an outcome of these ideas, this chapter also questions the standard corporate governance models.

This chapter gives an original perspective on HC, and in general on the concept of capital, combining an economic and an accounting analysis. It also develops a new way to report HC, using an innovative integrated accounting model, the TDL model.

The increasing importance of women as participants in the labor force during the last few decades has led to an increasing amount of research effort to identify, measure, and explain male‐female wage differentials (see, for example, Sanborn, 1964; Bayer and Astin, 1968; Fuchs, 1971; Cohen, 1971; Manche, 1971; Suter and Miller, 1971; Sawhill, 1973; Hamilton, 1973; Gwartney and Stroup, 1973; Ferber and Lowry, 1976). Owing to data limitations that led to specification errors and/or errors in variables, the results of most of the analyses of male‐female wage differentials may be biased, as the authors themselves point out. Also, analysts who used Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression techniques failed to account for the simultaneity between the wage, or earnings, variable and certain of the explanatory variables in regression. In addition, since some of the explanatory variables usually included in regression have different magnitudes or signs for men and women, past analyses that contained a sex dummy variable to deduce wage differentials were misspecified.

The main purpose of this chapter is to investigate the association between intellectual capital disclosure (ICD) level and two potential explanatory determinants: industry type and company size.

Twenty-one annual reports of Romanian public companies represented the sample companies. For each company, an ICD index was constructed based on an intellectual capital (IC) framework composed of 33 IC items. The results obtained for ICD Index are then used for statistical testing: descriptive statistics, T test, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression analysis.

Industry type by its own does not seem to influence ICD level and company size by its own does not influence the IC disclosure. However, the combination of the two variables significantly combines together to predict ICD.

A specified list of IC items may not provide the whole picture of ICD practices. Future research could consider interviewing managers about their disclosure rationale. A larger sample could help to further improve the extrapolation of the results. Furthermore, this study challenges researchers to extend the area of analysis by considering the relation between ICD and other possible determinants. Last but not least, a longitudinal study could provide more insights.

The results obtained represent a basis for comparison with those obtained by other studies carried out in other developing countries. Furthermore, they can be used in meta-analysis.

This chapter is one of the first investigating ICD in the case of Romanian companies. Accordingly, our chapter contributes to the ICD literature by providing new empirical evidence on the determinants of ICD in a developing country context.

We test two alternative hypotheses concerning the impact of union membership on the reemployment earnings of displaced workers and find support for the hypothesis that unions exert monopoly power in setting wages rather than providing any direct productivity enhancements. This effect holds in both the short run and over time.

In this contribution to the growing discussion of the meaning, method‐dology and rationale of the socio‐economic approach we shall not reiterate the historical development of Social Economics but will concentrate on trying to stimulate discussion of the following questions:

How does ownership of units of home capital affect time use? What are the determinants of ownership of home capital? The objective of this paper is to inquire into the nature of these relationships.

It will be argued here that the need for anti‐discrimination policies in the labour market — while patently obvious to the present audience — can also be reinforced via an analytical approach, which we have elsewhere described as a “socio‐economic systems” approach. Briefly, such an approach leads to the conclusion that in most areas of social economics (including discrimination) we should be concerned with the study of the structure and processes of the dynamic field of societal relations within a complex and interdependent environment of many systems (social, economic, legal, political, historical, psychological, technological and natural). Consequently, we need to study these environmental systems, the elements of the structure, the process of adaptation of these structural elements to their environment, the accommodation and conflict generated by these processes, the societal relations stemming from these reactions and the feedback mechanisms whereby the open and dynamic system constantly adjusts (Figure 1).

This paper aims to study the relationship between working while studying in college/university and education mismatch among employed youth in the Zambian labour market.

The study uses data from the 2014 School-to-Work Transition Survey and a multinomial logit model to examine three education-mismatch categories: undereducated, matched and overeducated. The paper also examines heterogeneities by education level and gender and uses empirical and subjective approaches of education mismatch.

The evidence shows that employed youth who worked while studying have a higher likelihood of having well-matched jobs. The subgroup analysis by education level reveals no significant relationship between working while studying among employed youth with higher education (secondary and above). However, employed youth with lower education (primary and lower) are less likely to be mismatched for the job. The linkage between the education system and the labour market needs to be strengthened to support a smoother school-to-work transition for youth. Additional support to enable exposure to the right type of work during youth's college or university studies could increase job match and reduce labour market inefficiencies.

The paper provides insights into a significant challenge faced by youth in developing countries, i.e. finding a suitable job for youth's level of education.

Attempts to propose a simplified framework from an economic perspective for analyzing education policy. The framework takes into account the demand for and supply of education, the education system structure, the economic effects and consequences, and their interrelations. Maps out some key economic areas, issues and concerns in analysis and discussions of education policy. The framework will serve to facilitate economic considerations and analyses in current education policy debate in different parts of the world.