ABSTRACT

In economic performance the human factor is always prominent. Economies are operated by human beings; consequently mass behavior in its diverse dimensions sets both daily constraints and less immediate limits upon economic activity. Human aspects of the economic process are decisively shaped by the fact that labor is an animate commodity. Physiological needs determine the minimum requirements which the production system must satisfy if household routines are to be pursued. "Human resources," unlike natural resources, may be augmented in the very process of being used. More than most other national directorates, the leadership in the Soviet Union might be expected to recognize the importance of human factors in economic development. "Human capital" is a complex fabric of varied construction, but in all societies and for all individuals a dominant strand in it is health. In Western nations, the role of human motivation in economic performance remains a sensitive and controversial subject.