1. Objectifs

Intentions :
«We report the results of a study designed to better understand human capital decisions by the poor. A secondary purpose of the study is to collect information that could be used to design a policy to encourage the poor to save and invest in human capital.» (p. 1)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
«A total of 256 subjects [from Montreal] participated […]. Sixty-three percent had family income less than the Statistics Canada low-income cut-off (LICOs) for their family size and composition. Average total family income for the entire sample was approximately $22,500 CAD. Seventy-two percent of the subjects were labor market participants, either employed or unemployed. Two thirds of the subjects were women. Participants were far from uneducated.» (p. 4)

Instruments :
Questionnaire

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

«Based on the study’s results, we conclude that a sizable proportion of the working poor would invest in human capital if the investment were sufficiently subsidized. The more the investment was subsidized, the more likely individuals were to invest. When subjects were presented with the opportunity analogous to the learn$ave matching offer ($400 in educational expenses or $100 in cash), 44 percent of subjects accepted the offer of education, almost double the proportion of subjects willing to invest at the lower matching rate of 1/1. Because these results entail giving up “house money” rather than their own earned income, they may slightly overstate subjects’ willingness to forego current income for an investment in education.22 Many of the subjects chose not to invest, even at the highest subsidy rate of 5/1: At this rate, 45.4 did not invest in their own human capital, and 52.1 did not invest in a family member’s education.» (p. 15)
Note : Cette étude s’intéresse à la question de l’investissement dans l’éducation des membres de la famille.