Towards the measurement of the impacts of improving research capacity: an economic evaluation of training in wheat disease resistance

It is notoriously difficult to assess the economic value of research aimed at improvingresearch capacity, particularly for the human capital component of research capacity.In this paper, a framework is developed and an analysis is undertaken of the value oftraining for scientists in wheat rust resistance. The value of improving human capitalis assessed through a framework based on marginal analysis of the improvementin productivity outcomes flowing from the increased capacity. On that basis, the valueof programs to build human capacity through training or further education can beestimated. Although such estimates are necessarily qualified, they provide a basis forquantifying the value of building research and development capacity.