Human Capital and Sustainability

By I. Šlaus, Garry Jacobs. 2011

185 citations recorded by the source corpus.

A study of sustainability needs to consider the role of all forms of capital—natural, biological, social, technological, financial, cultural—and the complex ways in which they interact. All forms of capital derive their value, utility and application from human mental awareness, creativity and social innovation. This makes human capital, including social capital, the central determinant of resource productivity and sustainability. Humanity has entered the Anthropocene Epoch in which human changes have become the predominant factor in evolution. Humanity is itself evolving from animal physicality to social vitality to mental individuality. This transition has profound bearing on human productive capabilities, adaptability, creativity and values, the organization of economy, public policy, social awareness and life styles that determine sustainability. This article examines the linkages between population, economic development, employment, education, health, social equity, cultural values, energy intensity and sustainability in the context of evolving human consciousness. It concludes that development of human capital is the critical determinant of long-term sustainability and that efforts to accelerate the evolution of human consciousness and emergence of mentally self-conscious individuals will be the most effective approach for ensuring a sustainable future. Education is the primary lever. Human choice matters.

Subfields: Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/80507cc0ddc30e86b45cae0a5a2a97febf52879a

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In Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law

1. Ralph Hansmann
2. U. Zoller

Citations in the corpus

• Principal sustainability components: empirical analysis of synergies between the three pillars of sustainability (2012, background): “Enhancing social and human capital also has the potential to promote sustainability in an integrative way (OECD Education Ministerial Meeting 2010; Šlaus and Jacobs 2011; Mieg et al. 2012).”
• Islamic Banking Sustainability: A Review of Literature and Directions for Future Research (2016, background): “Functional human development and capacity are prerequisites for long-term sustainability of the financial sector (Akhter, Akhtar, and Jaffri 2009; Khan 2013; Šlaus and Jacobs 2011).”