Art rolnick biography

“Human capital” is an economic catchphrase for the collective knowledge, skills, experience and other attributes people accumulate throughout their lives. Human capital development is key to a nation's prosperity.

You’ll immediately grasp the meaning of the term if you spend time talking about ideas, policy and life with Art Rolnick, age 79.

He’s a scholar of pre-Civil War banking era; a well-known opponent of public funding for stadiums and the costly tax competition between states and localities to attract business; former longtime head of research at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis; and, most notably, an enthusiastic advocate for early childhood human capital initiatives.

MPR’s senior economics contributor Chris Farrell recently met with Rolnick for our series “Connect the Dots.” We ask community elders to share part of their life story, and lessons they’ve learned along the way about what really matters in life.

Use the audio player above to listen to the ful