Resolving conflicts between profession and family: Lifetime solutions

Human capital is the key to safeguarding jobs and productivity in a modern knowledge-based economy. Human capital is formed not only in schools but also in families and businesses. For this reason a balance of work and family life is essential. In his contribution, based on a lecture at the conference "Social Policy Agenda for the European Union" on 28 and 29 October in Amsterdam, A. Lans Bovenberg, CentER for Economic Research, Tilburg University, analyses labour market institutions and the working cultures in European countries and calls for decisive reforms that resolve the conflicts between professional and family lives.