ABSTRACT
There are, in simple terms, three principal kinds of capital that come necessarily into play when a society is evolving towards improving the lives, livelihoods and qualities of life of its people. The first form of capital is financial; this is normally lumped together with physical forms of invested money in plant, buildings and infrastructure. So high productivity countries are often in that happy condition because the people doing the work are assisted by machines that may cost a great deal of money. Also goods are exchanged through the medium of money. It makes the world go round, in more than a simple sense, and its sourcing and allocation are critical for economic performance. The second form of capital is human, seen simply as the level and range of skills and capabilities that are available for use in the society. When people are literate, numerate, skilled, experienced, informed, cooperative and inquisitive, they and their societies can do much more. The third form of capital is social. Here cooperativeness shows its effects. The human being is instinctively willing to make friends and to cooperate, but there are conditions attached to this instinct, mainly to defend against being duped. It is the second of these elements, human capital, that this volume is about.
