The Density of Smart People

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Richard Forno <rforno () infowarrior org>
> Date: May 30, 2010 10:49:02 AM EDT
> To: List Infowarrior <infowarrior () attrition org>
> Cc: Farber Dave <dave () farber net>
> Subject: The Density of Smart People

> (c/o    several people)
>
> The Density of Smart People
>
> May 28 2010, 11:15 AM ET |   Comment
>
> Clusters of smart people of the highly educated sort that economists  
> refer to as "human capital" are the key engine of economic growth  
> and development.  Jane Jacobs argued that the clustering of talented  
> and energetic in cities is the fundamental driving force of economic  
> development. In a classic essay, "On the Mechanics of Economic  
> Development," the Nobel prize-winning, University of Chicago  
> economist Robert Lucas formalized Jacobs' insights and argued that  
> human capital, or what can be called Jane Jacobs externalities, are  
> indeed the key factor in economic growth and development. Still, the  
> standard way economists measure human capital is to take the  
> percentage of people in a country, state, or metropolitan area with  
> a bachelor's degree or higher most scholars measure human capital in  
> terms of population.
>
> So I was intrigued by this fascinating analysis by Rob Pitingolo (h/ 
> t: Don Peck) which looks at the density of human capital. Pitingolo  
> put together a neat measure that he refers to as "educational  
> attainment density." Instead of measuring human capital or college  
> degree holders as a function of population, he measures it as a  
> function of land area -- that is, as college degree holders per  
> square mile. As he explains ...
>
> < -- >
>
> http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2010/05/the-density-of-smart-people/57384/



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