Notes on Using Human Capital and Household Production Models in Less-Developed Countries.

William Butz

Expert InsightsPublished 1976

Understanding family behavior in less-developed countries can be aided by analysis using human capital and household production models. However some familiar variables in the models will not function in ways the analyst is accustomed to in developed country settings. For example, the relationship between market wage and the opportunity cost of time may not be the same as in a developed country. While the conceptual models are similar, the descriptions of how empirical counterparts for theoretical variables are constructed will be different. In addition new variables need to be integrated into these models for some uses: (1) length of total and partial breastfeeding of children; and (2) children's economic contribution to their household. In spite of these differences, construction of different models to explain people's behavior in less-developed countries would be less productive than adaptation of the optimizing models already proven useful in developed areas. 9 pp.

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Butz, William, Notes on Using Human Capital and Household Production Models in Less-Developed Countries. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 1976. https://www.rand.org/pubs/papers/P5759.html.
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