Title: Human Capital and Growth: The Recovered Role of Education Systems
Abstract: No AccessPolicy Research Working Papers25 Jun 2013Human Capital and Growth: The Recovered Role of Education SystemsAuthors/Editors: Sébastien DessusSébastien Dessushttps://doi.org/10.1596/1813-9450-2632SectionsAboutPDF (0.1 MB) ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareFacebookTwitterLinked In Abstract:July 2001 When investments in education in developing countries do not produce higher growth, the problem may be the quality of the schooling —of the education infrastructure, of the initial endowment in human capital, and of the system's ability to equitably distribute educational services. The consensus to support and emphasize public primary education for all (rather than secondary education for the few)—typically found in the most egalitarian societies—is most likely to increase the contribution of human capital accumulation to growth. Recent empirical studies question conventional wisdom about the importance of education to growth. These results partly reflect how international differences in the quality of education systems—defined by the systems' ability to produce one marginal unit of productive human capital—are not taken into account. Dessus estimates neoclassical growth models on panel data in which the elasticity of human capital depends stochastically on different characteristics of the education system. Among characteristics that explain differences in quality are education infrastructure, the initial endowment of human capital, and the ability to distribute educational services equally among potential students. Giving priority to primary education for all rather than secondary education to a few is more likely to foster growth (for the same fiscal burden). But parallel actions are also probably needed – for example, promoting institutions that motivate skilled workers to spend time on growth-promoting activities and encouraging the inflow of foreign technologies to maximize the social return to public investment in education. This paper—a product of the Social and Economic Development Group and Social Development Group, Middle East and North Africa Region—is part of a larger effort in the region to better understand the role that education has on human capital accumulation and growth. The author may be contacted at [email protected]. Previous bookNext book FiguresreferencesRecommendeddetailsCited byDoes Human Development Matter to Green Growth on the Path to Sustainability?Economic analysis of factors associated with education and employmentCTE Workshop Proceedings, Vol.1021 March 2023Manufacturing, Exports, and Sustainable Growth: Evidence from Developing CountriesSustainability, Vol.14, No.331 January 2022Human Capital, Economic Growth, and Sustainable Development Goals: An Evaluation of Emerging Economies2 June 2021Education Inequalities and Human Capital Formation in MENA RegionHuman Capital TheoryReview of Educational Research, Vol.84, No.31 September 2014Entrepreneurship, Information Technologies, and Educational-Based Virtuous Circles in Post-Industrialized EconomiesAn Analysis of the Relevance of the Resource Curse to Australia, and Policy ImplicationsSSRN Electronic JournalInvestir sur le capital humain: éducation et santéAfrican Development Review, Vol.19, No.123 October 2007Explaining Large Inventories: The Case of IranSSRN Electronic JournalHuman Capital and Growth in OECD Countries: The Role of Public Expenditure on EducationSSRN Electronic JournalEducation Inequalities and Human Capital Formation in MENA Region View Published: July 1999 Copyright & Permissions Related Regions Africa Latin America & Caribbean Related Countries Czech Republic New Zealand Timor-Leste West Bank and Gaza Related Topics Education Health Nutrition and Population Macroeconomics and Economic Growth Poverty Reduction Social Development KeywordsCONSTANT RETURNS TO SCALECONVERGENCE EQUATIONSECONOMIC GROWTHELASTICITYGDPGROWTH MODELSGROWTH RATEHUMAN CAPITALINCOMEINVESTMENTMARGINAL PRODUCTIVITYPER CAPITA INCOMEPER CAPITA INCOMESPRODUCTIONPRODUCTION FUNCTIONPRODUCTIVITYSTOCKTHEORYUTILITYVARIABLES PDF DownloadLoading ...