Entrepreneurial Innovation and Sustained Long-Run Growth without Weak or Strong Scale Effects

Volker Grossmann

No 3389, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: R&D-based growth theory suggests that a larger population size raises either the long-run rate of economic growth (“strong scale effect”) or the level of per capita income (“weak scale effect”), with far-reaching policy implications. However, for modern times there is little empirical support for strong scale effects and evidence in favor of weak scale effects is mixed, at best. This paper develops a simple overlapping-generations framework with endogenous occupational choice of heterogeneous agents and entrepreneurial innovations in which any form of scale effect is absent. A higher population growth rate has a negligible, possibly negative effect on the long-run growth rate of per capita income. Long-run growth is sustained also in absence of population growth and generally is policy-dependent.

Keywords: entrepreneurial skills; endogenous technical change; economic growth; scale effects; population growth (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O10 O30 O40 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 33 pages
Date: 2008-03
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cse, nep-dge and nep-ino
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Published - published as "Entrepreneurial Innovation and Economic Growth" in: Journal of Macroeconomics, 2009, 31 (4), 602-613

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Working Paper: Entrepreneurial Innovation and Sustained Long-run Growth without Weak or Strong Scale Effects (2008)
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