Social Capital, Innovation and Growth: Evidence from Europe

Semih Akçomak and Bas ter Weel

No 3341, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: This paper investigates the interplay between social capital, innovation and per capita income growth in the European Union. We model and identify innovation as an important mechanism that transforms social capital into higher income levels. In an empirical investigation of 102 European regions in the period 1990-2002, we show that higher innovation performance is conducive to per capita income growth and that social capital affects this growth indirectly by fostering innovation. Our estimates suggest that there is no direct role for social capital to foster per capita income growth in our sample of European Union countries.

Keywords: European Union; innovation; economic growth; social capital (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O1 O3 O52 Z13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 55 pages
Date: 2008-02
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-eec, nep-ino and nep-soc
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (14)

Published - published in: European Economic Review, 2009, 53 (5), 544-567

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Related works:
Journal Article: Social capital, innovation and growth: Evidence from Europe (2009)
Working Paper: Social Capital, Innovation and Growth: Evidence from Europe (2006)
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