Does Change in S & T Explain Dynamics in Human Capital? An enquiry into Emerging Trends in Nursing Labour Market

We examine why it is important to consider seemingly autonomous but more embedded socio-political-economic aspects in assessing the impact of changes in Science and Technology (S&T) on human capital. In capturing the linkage between S&T and human capital, as we show, the dynamics in labour market is enmeshed in the complex web of socio-political-economic systems. Perhaps, this mode of reasoning has varying effects depending on the nature of economic activity. While the effect of entanglement of socio-political-economic aspects on S&T-human capital linkage may have less dynamism for primary economic activities, this effect is quite apparent for secondary and tertiary activities, quite reflected in consequences such as migration of labour. Interestingly, we investigate this dynamics taking nursing labour market as a case, viewing its significance in the emerging health care systems. A significant change in S&T of health care is that it has become more diagnostic than heuristic based system, mainly driven by advancements in the bio-medical technology. This change has altered the scope of health care occupations, covering occupations such as physicians, nurses, and para-medical professionals. Of these, nursing as an occupation reports one of the highest rates of women participation. After 2000, the migration of nursing professionals from some of the least developed/developing countries to developed countries has shown a steady increase. This surge in migration may have its roots in changes in S&T of health care systems. However, this link remains incomplete if we exclude a host of factors, primarily state’s role in health care, changes in health care education, new institutions in human capital formation, wage dynamics, and an increasingly socially embedded labour market. In this paper, we examine these themes –perspectives and substantive issues- , using the literature and secondary and primary data.