Project description DEENESFRITPL A closer look at the development of human capital Schooling is certainly a strong predictor of economic growth. Upper-tail knowledge allows entrepreneurs in manufacturing to keep up with all the latest technological advances. For instance, developing human capacity, with a focus on technical skills relevant for industry, is key for industrialised countries’ success. The EU-funded UTHC project will determine the role of elite knowledge and upper-tail human capital in the rise of the West between the period 1000 and 1800 CE. The project will study a variety of published source materials to create a geographical grid of the density, composition and quality of upper-tail human capital across time. It will also develop a new theory to understand how codified knowledge and practical skills interact and how ideas spread. Show the project objective Hide the project objective Objective My aim is to determine the role of elite knowledge and upper-tail human capital (UTHC) in triggering the rise of the West. I propose to build a database of a large sample of academic scholars in Europe over the period 1000CE-1800CE. Sources will be primary (published cartularia and matricula), secondary (books on the history of universities & academies), and tertiary (biographical dictionaries). To measure the quality of scholars, these data will be matched with the existing catalogues of publications. Second, we will build a geographical grid of the density, composition, and quality of the UTHC across time, and correlate the UTHC at the cell level with the adoption of new techniques and better institutions, and the development of literacy, numeracy, and urbanization. The individual character of the data will allow basing causal identification on exogenous variations in the European network of both individuals and universities. The migration pattern of scholars will be used to identify sorting and agglomeration forces, witnessing to the functioning of an academic market in the medieval and early modern periods. Families of scholars will be identified to assess the importance of nepotism vs human capital transmission.Third, we will develop a new theory of the complementarity between sciences and techniques, to deter-mine the incentives under which codified knowledge and practical skills interact, and ideas spread. A second new theoretical model will be devoted to revealing the dynamic interactions between conservative and modern forces within universities and learned societies; the key trade-off here is between vested interests and new paradigms, letting scholarly elites develop a culture of growth. With the data gathered, we will be able to measure the importance of these theoretical mechanisms and how the UTHC and society interact. Overall, I intend to rethink economic growth by unraveling the rich interactions between scholars & literati and its emergence. Fields of science natural sciencescomputer and information sciencesdatabases Programme(s) H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme Topic(s) ERC-2019-ADG - ERC Advanced Grant Call for proposal ERC-2019-ADG See other projects for this call Funding Scheme ERC-ADG - Advanced Grant Coordinator UNIVERSITE CATHOLIQUE DE LOUVAIN Net EU contribution € 1 311 263,00 Address Place de l universite 1 1348 Louvain la neuve Belgium See on map Region Région wallonne Prov. Brabant Wallon Arr. Nivelles Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00 Beneficiaries (1) Sort alphabetically Sort by Net EU contribution Expand all Collapse all UNIVERSITE CATHOLIQUE DE LOUVAIN Belgium Net EU contribution € 1 311 263,00 Address Place de l universite 1 1348 Louvain la neuve See on map Region Région wallonne Prov. Brabant Wallon Arr. Nivelles Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00
