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VALUING TRANSFER OF MILITARY‐ACQUIRED SKILLS TO CIVILIAN EMPLOYMENT *
Author(s) -
Spencer Daniel L.,
Woroniak Alexander
Publication year - 1969
Publication title -
kyklos
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.766
H-Index - 58
eISSN - 1467-6435
pISSN - 0023-5962
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-6435.1969.tb00914.x
Subject(s) - human capital , pejorative , value (mathematics) , economics , business , public relations , political science , economic growth , law , machine learning , computer science
SUMMARY Without entering the controversy on the importance of human capital in relation to technological progress, an economist faces a challenging technical problem: how to measure or quantify in monetary terms the significant value of specific skills, both for the individual and for the social entity. This paper attempts to contribute to this objective on two levels: one is to develop an acceptable methodology for evaluation of the incremental contribution of skills; secondly, the paper summarizes preliminary results of a case study on the transfer of skills acquired during military training to the civilian sector in Japan during the post‐World War II period. Implications of the study suggest a critical review of by‐product contributions of military expenditures. In spite of pejorative evaluations of the military establishment on moral grounds by a segment of public opinion, military training remains a prevasive mechanism for mass development of skills in all nations, particularly in less‐developed and socialist countries. The potentiality of tapping the experience and the know‐how of military establishments for development of skills transferable for application in a progressively technical society opens opportunity for further scientific exploration and operational exploitation.