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Legal Institutions of Human Capital: Property, Contract, and Organisation

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  • Jyh-An Lee

    (The Chinese University of Hong Kong)

  • Lauren Yu-Hsin Lin

    (City University of Hong Kong School of Law)

Abstract

Human capital plays a crucial role in today’s knowledge-based economy and is vital to economic growth and technological innovation. While studies of human capital are abundant in economics and management research, legal studies tend to neglect the impact of legal institutions on the preservation and development of human capital. This article contributes to the existing literature by linking legal developments with the human capital and management literature using the concept of “firm-specific human capital” to understand the various legal mechanisms developed in legal practice. By exploring how major legal institutions—property, contract and organisation—help firms secure key human capital, this article provides a new lens through which to understand the legal means that facilitate the development of firm-specific human capital in the knowledge economy.

Suggested Citation

  • Jyh-An Lee & Lauren Yu-Hsin Lin, 2022. "Legal Institutions of Human Capital: Property, Contract, and Organisation," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 13(4), pages 3326-3344, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jknowl:v:13:y:2022:i:4:d:10.1007_s13132-021-00858-y
    DOI: 10.1007/s13132-021-00858-y
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    References listed on IDEAS

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