Conceptualization of human capital: traditional theories and modern approaches

Conceptual approaches to human capital have been formed under the influence of various disciplines and areas of research practice. Currently, there are grounds to assert the interdisciplinary nature of this concept. The aim of the article is to consider the category of human capital in the process of its transformation from purely economic to socio-cultural in the context of today’s constantly changing reality. The work presents the main economic and sociological theories of human capital, outlines the viewpoints of scholars who were the developers of this concept, and highlights key areas of research on it in modern society. These include: research of the new types of capital typical for the modern social context; analysis of the concept’s structure from the perspective of its adaptability to the tasks of qualitative sociology; study of the mutual influence of human capital and the welfare state.