Despite the efforts of theorists to define one’s human capital, this concept remains ambivalent. The development of human capital is at the heart of the economic and social development of any developed or developing nation. The key to the success of developed economies is to develop their population first, in that case, investing in people and then moving on to material investment. This development scheme should be promoted and applied by countries aspiring to their development in general. To contribute to human development, it is crucial to identify the concept of human capital and dissociate it from all other concepts related to material, while emphasizing the fact that this capital belongs to the person who holds it through its categorisation.
This paper provides a brief review of the concept of human capital from its formulation by its founder Theodore Schultz (1961), to its development by various theorists, namely Gary Becker(1964), Marshall (1894), Spence (1973), Chamak and Fromage (2006), Lepak and Snell (1999), Galunic and Anderson (2000), Hitt (2001)…While seeking the common trait between theorists in that field. It focuses then on two variables considered relevant to human capital development, namely Education and Training. Moreover, through this paper, we proceed to set the concept of human capital in the Management Sciences as well as in some research streams and theories concerned by this concept, namely, neoclassical theory, endogenous growth theory, capabilities theory, complex labour theory and efficiency wage theory.
It is also important to underline the continuity and relevance of this concept in an era where globalisation is an absolute reality, through studies and research carried out by international organisations such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development “OECD.”.