presentation for esse

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Human and Labour in the
System of Social Production
Essay presentation for Economic Theory
Andrey Kravtsun · ITT&A26-1
Department of Economic Theory
Financial University under the Government of the Russian
Federation

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How Work Has Changed
Craft and agriculture
Industrial production
Today’s service economy
Most people farmed or made goods by
Steam power, factories and assembly lines
In modern cities, many jobs are in services,
hand. Craftspeople often completed an
increased the speed and scale of production.
while machines increasingly take on heavy
Work could become repetitive, and workers had
physical tasks. The essay emphasizes
less connection to the finished product. The
analytical thinking, communication and
item from start to finish and saw the
result of their work.
essay reports six-day weeks of 72–84 hours in
this historical context.
continued learning as valued skills.

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The Worker as Human
Capital
Capabilities create value
The essay draws on economist Gary Becker’s idea of
human capital: workers’ knowledge, skills and abilities
are productive resources.
Investment supports productivity
Education, healthcare and safe working conditions
can strengthen employees’ capabilities and help them
work effectively.
People are not interchangeable with equipment
Competitors may purchase similar machines, but creative and
knowledgeable employees contribute judgment and ideas. The essay
points to training, flexible hours and improved working conditions as
ways firms can support staff.
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Automation: Promise and Worker Concerns
The essay presents AI and automation as
both productivity tools and a source of
uncertainty for employees. Its examples
describe possible changes to programming,
translation and research; these are the
essay’s claims, not quantified findings.
The central issue is not technology alone, but
how its gains and risks are distributed.
Based on the essay’s discussion of automation and AI.

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Decent Work and Respect for
Employees
Safety and health
Provide safe working conditions and protect employees from
preventable harm.
Fair pay and security
Support a fair living wage and protections that help workers
manage economic risks.
Equal treatment
Protect workers from discrimination and respect their rights and
interests.
Meaningful work and balance
Make room for meaningful work, rest and time with family;
respect can support engagement and productivity.

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Keeping People at the Centre of
Production
Technology can support production, but people remain its
purpose and driving force. AI and machines are tools; their
benefits depend on human choices about how they are used and
how work is organized. A productive economy should also enable
safe, fairly rewarded work in which people can develop their skills
and feel valued.

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References Listed in the Essay
Adam Smith
Karl Marx
International Labour Organization
The Wealth of Nations (1776) —
Das Kapital, Volume 1 (1867) —
Decent Work Agenda and Global
division of labor.
factories, machinery and alienation.
Employment Trends.

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Discussion Questions
Work and technology
Human capital
Automation and decent work
How has the shift from craft and
How can education, healthcare and
How can society share the benefits
industrial work to services changed
safe working conditions strengthen
of automation while protecting
the skills workers need?
workers’ productivity?
workers’ security and rights?