In this paper, I have analysed the first decade of Becker’s research and the central role that it played during the early period of his career.
These were crucial years in positioning Becker as an influential and controversial economist.
We have placed Becker’s early contributions to human capital research within the broader and overlapping contexts of his intellectual development and within a circle of interactions and collaborations that revolved largely around Chicago’s and Columbia’s Departments of Economics.
This network was very important in stimulating Becker’s interest in researching human capital and in helping him to develop original and influential contributions within a collaborative framework.