Human Capital Initiative

The Human Capital Initiative (HCI) advances interdisciplinary research on the role of human capital in human development to inform policy solutions to global challenges including poverty, women’s empowerment and sustainable economic growth through investments in education and health.

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• Informality Is Africa’s Reality, And Its Policy Challenge: Takeaways from the ISHi – Africa Task Force

  March 17, 2026

  Across sub-Saharan Africa, informality is not the exception, but the economic reality. Four out of five workers in sub-Saharan Africa earn their living through the... [ More ]

• Request for Proposals: Human Capital Initiative PhD Summer Fieldwork Fellowships

  March 11, 2026

  Due date: Monday 6 April, 2026 (5pm EST) The Human Capital Initiative (HCI) at the Boston University Global Development Policy Center is pleased to announce a... [ More ]

• The Human Capital Initiative Announces the Winners of the 2026 Collaborative Grant Award

  February 11, 2026

  The Human Capital Initiative (HCI) is pleased to announce the recipients of its 2026 Collaborative Grant award to advance innovative, policy-oriented research and support faculty-led... [ More ]

• Excess US Deaths Before, During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic

  June 04, 2025

  Mortality rates decreased more slowly in the US than in other high-income countries (HICs) between 1980 and 2019, resulting in growing numbers of excess US deaths... [ More ]

• Reducing Emissions and Air Pollution from Informal Brick Kilns: Evidence from Bangladesh

  May 15, 2025

  In many low- and middle-income countries, it is commonly believed that weak state and regulatory capacities limit the ability to reduce pollution and mitigate climate... [ More ]