Deck 8: Human Capital: Education and Health in Economic Development  

Question 1

Education of girls is a crucial development investment because
(a) it leads to improved child health.
(b) it leads to reduced fertility.
(c) women do most of the work in agriculture.
(d) all of the above.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Is child labor a problem in developing countries? Explain.

Answer 2

not answered

Question 3

Compare the relative effectiveness of the balsakhi program to the Computer-Assisted Learning (CAL) program in India.

Answer 3

not answered

Question 4

Why should the development of a solid elementary education system take precedence over an expansion of the university system in developing countries?

Question 5

Why do you think Uganda has been so successful at decreasing the prevalence of HIV/AIDS?

Question 6

How can an increase in human capital lead to an increase in GDP? Why might it not lead to an increase in GDP?

Question 7

What is educational inequality and how is it measured? Why is it important to measure the degree of educational inequality in a country? Explain your answer.

Question 8

Explain how a better educated population will also tend to be healthier, and vice versa, that a healthier population will tend to be better educated.

Question 9

Explain some of the reasons why developing countries have not realized a greater positive development impact from their higher education programs.

Question 10

Explain why the education of girls is probably the most cost-effective development investment.Be sure to include in your answer some discussion of at least two of the following: absolute poverty, health and development, fertility, and agriculture.

Question 11

What are the critical health challenges facing developing countries today and what measure(s) are being taken to confront these challenges? Explain your answer.

Question 12

What is human capital and why is it crucial to expand human capital as part of the development process?

Question 13

What factors cause private and social rates of return for primary and secondary education to diverge in developing countries?

Question 14

Evaluate critically the following statement: The developed countries have all shown a significant increase in the numbers of university-trained workers as incomes have risen; thus the development
of a solid university system should be among the major priorities of developing countries.

Question 15

Why have poor nations invested so much money in education and health? Evaluate the soundness of these reasons.

Question 16

Although Progresa/Oportunidades has been successful in Mexico, why might a similar program not work elsewhere?

Question 17

In developing countries higher educational facilities have tended to expand to the point where social benefits exceed private benefits.What is the economic explanation for this?

Question 18

Investment in human capital is very similar to investing in physical capital.True or false? Explain your answer.

Question 19

Developing countries have not benefited as much as expected from their higher education programs because of
(a) lack of program focus on the needs of the country.
(b) increasing returns to scale in each individual's education.
(c) graduates get jobs in the private sector.
(d) all of the above.

Question 20

Why is eradicating child labor seen as an economic investment?

Question 21

Credential inflation results from
(a) a combination of cost-push inflation and demand-pull inflation.
(b) rigidities in the industrial sector.
(c) the need to select from among qualified applicants in the modern sector.
(d) all of the above.

Question 22

Human capital is best defined as
(a) the amount of wealth people have.
(b) the amount of money people have to spend on schooling.
(c) human capacities that raise productivity.
(d) the average education level of the population.

Question 23

According to the 2005 UNDP Human Development Report child mortality (under age 5) has declined in all regions of the world except:
(a) South Asia
(b) Sub-Saharan Africa
(c) Middle East and North Africa
(d) None of the above

Question 24

It is important to place particular stress on the role of primary education in the development strategy because of
(a) LDC's comparative advantage from basic skills education.
(b) the law of diminishing returns.
(c) development emphasis on poverty alleviation.
(d) all of the above.

Question 25

The ILO approach to combating child labor stresses
(a) encouraging parents to migrate to the cities in search of work.
(b) banning child labor.
(c) tackling the sources of poverty.
(d) all of the above.

Question 26

The fact that developed countries have strong, widely attended university systems indicates that
(a) university expansion should be a development priority.
(b) universities teach skills used on the job.
(c) developing countries place too much stress on agriculture.
(d) none of the above.

Question 27

According to the Regional HIV and AIDS Statistics data from WHO, which region of the world has the largest number of adults and children living with HIV?
(a) South and South-East Asia
(b) Sub-Saharan Africa
(c) Latin America
(d) North America

Question 28

Concentration of resources on higher rather than basic education in developing countries tends to lead to
(a) greater inequality.
(b) lower fertility.
(c) less international migration.
(d) more job creation.

Question 29

As the number of years of schooling completed increases, the expected private return and private cost of education
(a) increase at roughly the same rate.
(b) increase at different rates with expected private return increasing at a slower rate than private cost.
(c) increase at different rates with expected private return increasing at a faster rate than private cost.
(d) do not increase.

Question 30

An individual's demand for education is most affected by
(a) direct and indirect costs of schooling.
(b) development priorities of the country.
(c) the desire to escape agricultural work.
(d) all of the above.

Question 31

Child labor is a widespread problem that applies primarily to children
(a) between the ages of 5 and 14.
(b) between the ages of 10 and 14.
(c) between the ages of 12 and 14.
(d) between the ages of 12 and 16.

Question 32

The World Bank approach to combating child labor stresses
(a) making child labor legal under certain conditions.
(b) tackling the sources of poverty.
(c) encouraging families to migrate to richer countries.
(d) providing each child with a computer so that children have an alternative to working.

Question 33

The supply of public school places is determined by
(a) individuals' demand for education.
(b) direct and indirect costs of schooling.
(c) political processes, often unrelated to economic criteria.
(d) all of the above.

Question 34

Studies show that improved education of women in developing countries leads to
(a) lower infant mortality.
(b) better designed, market based development policies.
(c) lower international dependence.
(d) all of the above.