[Infowarrior] - The Density of Smart People

[Richard Forno]

(c/o 	several people)

The Density of Smart People

May 28 2010, 11:15 AM ET |   Comment

Clusters of smart people of the highly educated sort that economists refer to as "human capital" are the key engine of economic growth and development.  Jane Jacobs argued that the clustering of talented and energetic in cities is the fundamental driving force of economic development. In a classic essay, "On the Mechanics of Economic Development," the Nobel prize-winning, University of Chicago economist Robert Lucas formalized Jacobs' insights and argued that human capital, or what can be called Jane Jacobs externalities, are indeed the key factor in economic growth and development. Still, the standard way economists measure human capital is to take the percentage of people in a country, state, or metropolitan area with a bachelor's degree or higher most scholars measure human capital in terms of population.

So I was intrigued by this fascinating analysis by Rob Pitingolo (h/t: Don Peck) which looks at the density of human capital. Pitingolo put together a neat measure that he refers to as "educational attainment density." Instead of measuring human capital or college degree holders as a function of population, he measures it as a function of land area -- that is, as college degree holders per square mile. As he explains ...

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http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2010/05/the-density-of-smart-people/57384/