THE HUMAN ECONOMY

For over 30 years Ginzberg has been head of the Conservation of Human Resources Project at Columbia, the source of various published reports; here he ""explicates the theory"" behind his teaching in a volume which seems intended--nay, destined--to be a textbook in turn. To summarize (as Ginzberg does constantly): manpower is not a commodity; value-free social science is neither conceivable nor desirable; ""the processes of manpower development and utilization can be effectively analyzed only within a broad framework that includes the four major systems--the value structure, the government, the economy, and the manpower development institutions."" The ""analysis"" consists for the most part of descriptions so general as to apply to no single situation anywhere; relatively few specific pointers or applications, some of which are in error (e.g., the recent experience of South Korea and Singapore--and earlier Japan--belies the contention that ""It takes decades, even generations, to raise significantly the skill level of a population""); and almost no concrete examples. The subsequent treatment of training and employment adds to the lack of exemplification an almost total failure to deal with significant developments (such as the use of migrant labor in Western Europe) or critical issues. Indeed, Ginzberg doses by touting ""the broadening of equity"" without so much as a nod to affirmative action programs. Platitudinous.