The Role of Human Capital Based on Education and Health against poverty in 34 provinces in Indonesia

Authors

  • Eza Nur Fauzan Indonesian University of Education, West Java, Indonesia
  • Navik Istikomah Indonesian University of Education, West Java, Indonesia
  • Susanti Kurniawati Indonesian University of Education, West Java, Indonesia
  • Amir Machmud Indonesian University of Education, West Java, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.38035/dijemss.v7i3.5992

Keywords:

Human Capital, Education, Health, Proverty, Capability Approach

Abstract

This study aims to analyse the influence of human capital, as measured by education and health, on poverty levels in 34 provinces in Indonesia. Using quantitative methods with panel data for the 2020–2024 period, this study applies a fixed effect model based on the results of the Chow and Hausman tests. Testing is carried out through panel regression, t-tests, F-tests, and classical assumption testing to ensure model validity. The results of the study show that education has a negative and significant effect on poverty, which means that increasing the average length of schooling can reduce the number of poor people. In contrast, health as measured by life expectancy has a positive and significant effect, indicating structural variations between regions that require further study. Simultaneously, both human capital variables have a significant influence on poverty. A limitation of this study is that the capability indicators used are limited to education and health, thus not reflecting the full dimensions of the capability approach. Therefore, future researchers are advised to include other variables such as access to technology, employment opportunities, environmental conditions, or social protection to provide a more comprehensive picture of the determinants of poverty in Indonesia.

References

Aiyar, S., Ebeke, C., & Shao, X. (2016). The impact of workforce aging on European productivity. IMF Working Paper, WP/16/238. https://doi.org/10.5089/9781475550688.001

Alkire, S., & Foster, J. (2011). Counting and multidimensional poverty measurement. Journal of Public Economics, 95(7-8), 476–487.

Alatas, V., Banerjee, A., Hanna, R., Olken, BA, Purnamasari, R., & Wai-Poi, M. (2016). Self-targeting: Evidence from a field experiment in Indonesia. Journal of Political Economy, 124(2), 371–427.

Annan, J., Bundervoet, T., Seban, J., & Costigan, J. (2021). A Randomized Impact Evaluation of Village Savings and Loans Associations and Family-Based Interventions in Burundi. Journal of Development Economics, 148, 102557. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdeveco.2020.102557

Asian Development Bank. (2020). Key indicators for Asia and the Pacific 2020. Manila: ADB.

Becker, G.S. (1964). Human capital: A theoretical and empirical analysis, with special reference to education. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Bourguignon, F. (2004). The poverty-growth-inequality triangle. Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations, Working Paper No. 125.

Central Bureau of Statistics Indonesia. (2021). Statistical yearbook of Indonesia 2021. Jakarta: BPS.

Datt, G., & Ravallion, M. (1992). Growth and redistribution components of changes in poverty measures: A decomposition with applications to Brazil and India. Journal of Development Economics, 38(2), 275–295.

Dollar, D., & Kraay, A. (2002). Growth is good for the poor. Journal of Economic Growth, 7(3), 195–225.

Fields, G.S. (2011). Working hard, working poor: A global journey. New York: Oxford University Press.

Ginting, E., & Aji, P. (2020). Indonesia: Enhancing productivity through quality jobs. Asian Development Bank.

Gujarati, DN (2010). Basic Econometrics (5th ed .). McGraw-Hill.

ILO. (2021). World employment and social outlook: The role of digital labor platforms in transforming the world of work. Geneva: International Labor Office.

Jefry, & Irhamah. (2018). Analysis of life expectancy and calculation methods . Journal of Public Health, 12(2), 145–153.

Kakwani, N., & Son, H. H. (2006). Pro-poor growth: The Asian experience. UNDP International Poverty Centre, Working Paper 1.

Kanbur, R., & Sumner, A. (2012). Poor countries or poor people? Development assistance and the new geography of global poverty. Journal of International Development, 24(6), 686–695.

Lewis, W. A. (1954). Economic development with unlimited supplies of labor. The Manchester School, 22(2), 139–191.

Mwakalila, E., & Muba, S. (2025). The role of financial inclusion in reducing income inequality and poverty in Africa: A macro-level analysis. Scientific African, 29(March), e02811. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sciaf.2025.e02811

Nelson, R.R. (1956). A theory of the low-level equilibrium trap in underdeveloped economies. American Economic Review, 46(5), 894–908.

Nelson, R.R., & Phelps, E.S. (1966). Investment in humans, technological diffusion, and economic growth. American Economic Review, 56(2), 69–75.

Noor, Z.Z., Asri, M., & Pambudi, D. (2023). Human capital and poverty reduction: Evidence from ASEAN countries. Economic Change and Restructuring, 56(1), 85–109. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10644-022-09418-1

Nugroho, Y., & Negara, SD (2020). Human capital development and inclusive growth in Indonesia. Journal of Southeast Asian Economies, 37(2), 243–263. https://doi.org/10.1355/ae37-2e

Opoku, E.O., Gyimah, J., Nyantakyi, G., Nwigwe, U.A., & Yao, X. (2024). A focus on Ghana's sustainable development: Examining the interplay of income inequality and energy poverty. Heliyon, 10(1), e22906. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e22906

Parfitt, S. (2017). A nexus between labor movement and labor movement: the Knights of Labor and the financial side of global labor history. Labor History, 58(3), 288–302. https://doi.org/10.1080/0023656X.2017.1255534

Paul, T.K. (2023). The Impact of Married Women's Labor Market Participation on Poverty during the Great Recession. Journal of Poverty, 27(1), 60–81. https://doi.org/10.1080/10875549.2021.2010865

Prasetyo, PE, & Cahyani, EN (2022). Investigating Keynesian theory in reducing unemployment and poverty in Indonesia. Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business, 9(10), 39–48. https://doi.org/10.13106/jafeb.2022.vol9.no10.0039

Rahmanto, F., Dartanto, T., Prananta, J., & Ikhsan, M. (2020). A longitudinal study of agricultural households in Indonesia: The effect of land and labor mobility on welfare and poverty dynamics. World Development Perspectives, 20(August), 100261. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wdp.2020.100261

Santos, M.E., & Santos, M.E. (2012). Human Capital and the Quality of Education in a Poverty Trap Model. Higher Education Management and Policy, 24(2), 37–41. https://doi.org/10.1080/13600818.2010.551003

One Data Indonesia. (2023). Average length of schooling: Definition, concept, and calculation method . One Data Indonesia Portal.

Schultz, T. W. (1961). Investment in human capital. The American Economic Review, 51(1), 1–17.

Schofield, D.J., Callander, E.J., Shrestha, R.N., Percival, R., Kelly, S.J., & Passey, M.E. (2013). The association between labor force participation and being in income poverty among those with mental health problems. Aging and Mental Health, 17(2), 250–257. https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2012.727381

Sen, A. (1999). Development as freedom. Oxford University Press.

Sianesi, B., & Suryadarma, D. (2021). Aspirations, human capital investment, and the intergenerational transmission of poverty in Indonesia. Social Indicators Research, 154(3), 1171–1190. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-021-02843-z

Slater, R. (2011). Cash transfers, social protection and poverty reduction. International Journal of Social Welfare, 20(3), 250–259.

Soltero, J. M. (2019). Economic Sector Employment, Human Capital, and Poverty among Mexican Immigrants in Chicago. Journal of Poverty, 00(00), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/10875549.2019.1703129

Soto, G. H., & Martinez-Cobas, X. (2025). Energy poverty and the green energy transition's impact upon income inequality in Latin America. Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, 72(August 2024), 220–232. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.strueco.2024.09.015

Structural change and poverty reduction in developing economies. (2024). World Development, 181, 106674.

Sunam, R. K., & McCarthy, J. F. (2016). Reconsidering the links between poverty, international labor migration, and agrarian change: critical insights from Nepal. Journal of Peasant Studies, 43(1), 39–63. https://doi.org/10.1080/03066150.2015.1041520

Suryahadi, A., Al Izzati, R., & Suryadarma, D. (2020). The impact of COVID-19 outbreak on poverty: An estimation for Indonesia. SMERU Working Paper. The SMERU Research Institute.

The Poverty Reduction Effect of Social Protection: The Pros and Cons of a Multidisciplinary Approach. (2022). European Journal of Development Research, 34, 2204–2223.

Todaro, M. P., & Smith, S. C. (2015). Economic development (12th ed .). Boston: Pearson Addison-Wesley.

Wali, H.N., Dutta, T., Sani, B., & Isak, J.M.S. (2025). Impact of energy poverty on human capital: a cross-sectional analysis of the rural households in Kano State, Nigeria. Cogent Economics and Finance, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23322039.2025.2469785

Waterman, AMC (2012). Adam Smith and Malthus on high wages. The European Journal of the History of Economic Thought, 19(3), 409–429. https://doi.org/10.1080/09672567.2010.548084

World Bank. (2016). Indonesia's rising divide: Why inequality is a concern for Indonesia's future. World Bank Group. https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/25390

Yamazaki, F. (2001). Poverty, inequality and economic growth: A survey. Journal of Economic Surveys, 15(3), 293–328.

Yun-li, BAI, Lin-xiu, Z., Ming-xing, SUN, & Xiang-bo, XU (2021). Status and path of intergenerational transmission of poverty in rural China: A human capital investment perspective. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 20(4), 1080–1091. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2095-3119(20)63373-1

Yunus, R. (2022). 'Labor class' children in Indian classrooms: theorizing urban poverty and schooling. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 43(1), 104–119. https://doi.org/10.1080/01425692.2021.2003181

Yusuf, A. A., Sumner, A., & Rum, I. A. (2022). Labor market dynamics, poverty, and inequality in Indonesia. Bulletin of Indonesian Economic Studies, 58(3), 305–326. https://doi.org/10.1080/00074918.2022.2124491

Zenz, A. (2023). The conceptual evolution of poverty alleviation through labor transfer in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Central Asian Survey, 42(4), 649–673. https://doi.org/10.1080/02634937.2023.2227225

Zhao, S., Fujimori, S., Min, J., Kikstra, J. S., Hasegawa, T., & Oshiro, K. (2025). The multi-faceted global poverty and income inequality landscape in a decarbonizing world. Current Research in Sustainability Science, 100487. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crsus.2025.100487

Downloads

Published

2026-02-05

How to Cite

Nur Fauzan, E., Istikomah, N., Kurniawati, S., & Machmud, A. (2026). The Role of Human Capital Based on Education and Health against poverty in 34 provinces in Indonesia. Dinasti International Journal of Education Management and Social Science, 7(3), 2504–2515. https://doi.org/10.38035/dijemss.v7i3.5992