Measuring Aggregate Human Capital

Casey Mulligan and Xavier Sala-i-Martin

No 5016, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: In this paper we construct a set of human capital indexes for the states of the United States for each Census year starting in 1940. In order to do so, we propose a new methodology for the construction of index numbers in panel data sets. Our method is based on an optimal approach by which we choose the 'best' set index numbers by minimizing the expected estimation error subject to some search constraints. Some of the empirical findings are that the stock of human capital in the United States grew twice as rapidly as the average years of schooling and that human capital inequality across states went up during the 1980s (while the dispersion of schooling actually fell). We conclude that using the average years of schooling for the empirical study of existing growth models may be misleading.

JEL-codes: C43 C83 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 1995-02
Note: EFG
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (29)

Published as Mulligan, Casey B & Sala-i-Martin, Xavier, 2000. " Measuring Aggregate Human Capital," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 5(3), pages 215-52, September.

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Related works:
Journal Article: Measuring Aggregate Human Capital (2000)
Working Paper: Measuring Aggregate Human Capital (1995)
Working Paper: Measuring Aggregate Human Capital (1995)
Working Paper: Measuring aggregate human capital (1995)
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