CAPITAL HUMANO, EMPREENDEDORISMO E DESENVOLVIMENTO: EVIDÊNCIAS EMPÍRICAS NOS MUNICÍPIOS DO CEARÁ

The contribution of human capital to economic development of nations has been the subject of several studies since the 1960s. However, updating the theme started in the second half of the 1990s, with the examination of the role of entrepreneurship is the main contribution of this study. This article investigates the influence of human capital and entrepreneurship on economic development. The article analyzes the influence of the two variables on improving the quality of life of cities in the state of Ceara, Brazil. The authors setup three analytical techniques to confirm the hypotheses formulated based on published literature: factor analysis, regression analysis and structural equation model. The results supported the hypothesis that entrepreneurship in the state of Ceara has consisted only in an alternative possibility and not in a contribution to development and economic growth. As future research, it is suggested the construction of a model that includes other explanatory variables that implies in increasing the knowledge of the role of entrepreneurship and human capital development.