Growth, distance to frontier and composition of human capital

Jérôme Vandenbussche, Philippe Aghion and Costas Meghir

Journal of Economic Growth, 2006, vol. 11, issue 2, pages 97-127

Abstract: We examine the contribution of human capital to economy-wide technological improvements through the two channels of innovation and imitation. We develop a theoretical model showing that skilled labor has a higher growth-enhancing effect closer to the technological frontier under the reasonable assumption that innovation is a relatively more skill-intensive activity than imitation. Also, we provide evidence in favor of this prediction using a panel dataset covering 19 OECD countries between 1960 and 2000 and explain why previous empirical research had found no positive relationship between initial schooling level and subsequent growth in rich countries. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2006

Keywords: Economic growth; Human capital; Imitation; Innovation; Convergence; P: I20; O30; O40 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2006
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Persistent link: http://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:kap:jecgro:v:11:y:2006:i:2:p:97-127

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