Investing in a PhD : Human capital or cultural capital ?

2005

The first part is mainly devoted to the study of the theoretical positions of Gary Becker and Pierre Bourdieu, the main theme being the vision of education as a capital. The notions of human capital (Becker) and cultural capital (Bourdieu) are presented, compared and criticised, each one being replaced in its theoretical context. The second part is devoted to empirical analyses concerning the PhD. We first try to assess the monetary return on a PhD. Then we look for the reasons why people pursue study at doctoral level, knowing that the monetary return can not by himself explain this decision. The PhD appears mainly as a way to work in higher education and public research. More than human c…