In a knowledge society, a human, his abilities, knowledge, health is more important than the natural or human-accumulated material wealth. Individual, organizational, regional and national competitiveness, development, sustainable growth depends on the quality of human capital. Therefore, scientists seek to measure human capital, to define suitable indicators. In Lithuania human capital usually researches at organization level. For the human capital at national, rural-urban, regional levels researchers devote less attention. Human capital in the country is very important. It determines the quantity and quality of a country or a region's development. It is important not only human capital, its volume and dynamics, but also how it affects the country's or region's social climate.
Objective of the study - to identify a link between the regions rurality level and human capital value. Goals of the study:
- to analyze the content of the concept of human capital in foreign and Lithuanian researchers works;
- to develop a set of indicators suitable for measuring human capital in regional level;
- to identify the trends of human capital development in regions of Lithuania.
The set of indicators, suitable to measure human capital in regions was prepared. On the ground of it the potential of human capital in Lithuanian regions, the use of it and its impact on regional social capital of regions was measured. Lithuanian regions were defined basing on the OECD rural regions exclusion principle.
The analysis of human capital in Lithuanian regions showed that the quantitative expression of human capital is decreasing in all regions of Lithuania, but in rural areas is falling faster than in urban ones. The quality of human capital during the research period grew in all regions, but it was always lower in rural areas than in urban. Studies have shown that neither the public nor the private sector properly use a qualitative increase of the regional human capital. It was also found that improvement in the quality of human capital does not have a greater impact on social development of human capital in Lithuania.
Keywords: human capital, human capital potential of human capital investment, human capital on social capital, regions, rusticity.
Kaimo žmogiškojo kapitalo raida: Mokslo studija / Gediminas Kuliešis, Lina Pareigienė, Irena Naus - Vilnius: Lietuvos agrarinės ekonomikos institutas, 2012. - 58 p.; iliustr., santr. angl. (Online) ISBN 978-9955-481-34-8.