Essays on human capital investments
Guide(s)
Das, Tirthatanmoy
Department
Economics
Area
Economics
University
Indian Institute of Management Bangalore
Place
Bangalore
Publication Date
3-31-2025
Year Awarded
March 2025
Year Completed
March 2025
Year Registered
June 2019
Abstract
In recent years, there has been a global shift towards smarter investments in human capital - spend more but spend better. In this context, this dissertation explores strategies for enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of human capital investments through three interrelated chapters. The first chapter explores the spillover effects of investing in health coverage on educational investments. By examining these interconnections, the chapter provides insights for designing comprehensive programs that simultaneously enhance multiple dimensions of human capital, promoting a more integrated approach to development. The second chapter presents a methodological innovation for assessing inefficiencies in human capital investments by incorporating a new modified Box-Cox type power-transformed exponential distribution into the two-tier stochastic frontier model. This new distribution allows for a more accurate estimation of inefficiencies in different settings, thereby enhancing the impact of investments. The third chapter explores whether choosing medical treatment at private healthcare over public healthcare provides better returns in the form of health outcomes using psychometric methods to assess health outcomes. In summary, this dissertation offers a multi-faceted exploration of strategies to optimize human capital investments and contributes to a deeper understanding of how to allocate resources more effectively for the enhancement of human capital.
Pagination
x, 139p.
Copyright
Indian Institute of Management Bangalore
Document Type
Dissertation
DAC Chairperson
Das, Tirthatanmoy
DAC Members
Bhalla, Manaswini; Mukherji, Arnab
Type of Degree
Ph.D.
Recommended Citation
Pragati, "Essays on human capital investments" (2025). Doctoral Dissertations. 97.
https://research.iimb.ac.in/doc_dissertations/97
Relation
DIS-IIMB-FPM-P25-12
