Human Capital for the Knowledge Economy: Upskill Journeys in Advanced Capitalist Democracies

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Niccolò Durazzi (Associate Professor of Economic Sociology and Sociology of Work, Associate Professor of Economic Sociology and Sociology of Work, University of Modena & Reggio Emilia)

Human Capital for the Knowledge Economy

Name: Human Capital for the Knowledge Economy
Price: 199.95 AUD
Availability: OutOfStock
ISBN: 9780198961338

Upskill Journeys in Advanced Capitalist Democracies

Niccolò Durazzi (Associate Professor of Economic Sociology and Sociology of Work, Associate Professor of Economic Sociology and Sociology of Work, University of Modena & Reggio Emilia)

$199.95

Hardback

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English

Oxford University Press
30 April 2026

Comparative politics; Public administration; Political economy

Human Capital for the Knowledge Economy offers a compelling investigation into how advanced capitalist democracies have reshaped higher education to meet the demands of their national knowledge economies. As non-routine cognitive tasks become increasingly crucial in labour markets transformed by technological change, countries have expanded higher education since the mid-1990s. Yet, as this book reveals, national approaches to creating high-level skills diverge sharply, shaped by deep institutional and political differences. This study sets out to explain those differences. At its core is a novel analytical framework that links two key dimensions: the sectoral specialisation of national economies-whether oriented toward advanced manufacturing or high-end services-and the institutional design of higher education systems, including modes of financing and patterns of differentiation. From this, the book identifies four ideal-typical state-led strategies-allocation, modification, facilitation, and information-to explain how different countries align higher education with labour market demands. Drawing on cross-national quantitative data and detailed case studies of Germany, South Korea, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, Human Capital for the Knowledge Economy explores how policy choices and institutional legacies shape countries' distinct 'upskill journeys'. The book also speaks to urgent contemporary policy debates. As governments confront the twin pressures of sustaining economic competitiveness and achieving broader societal goals-such as those entailed by the green transition-higher education becomes both more central and more politically contested.

By: Niccolò Durazzi (Associate Professor of Economic Sociology and Sociology of Work Associate Professor of Economic Sociology and Sociology of Work University of Modena & Reggio Emilia)
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 13mm, Width: 156mm, Spine: 234mm
Weight: 432g
ISBN: 9780198961338
ISBN 10: 0198961332
Pages: 206
Publication Date: 30 April 2026
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Niccolò Durazzi is Associate Professor of Economic Sociology and Sociology of Work at the University of Modena & Reggio Emilia (Italy) and Honorary Fellow at the University of Edinburgh (UK), where he previously served as Associate Professor of Political Economy of Social Policy. His research examines the policy and politics of the transition to the knowledge economy in advanced capitalist democracies, with a particular focus on skill formation and labour market policy.