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Cultural determinants of human capital accumulation: Evidence from the European Social Survey

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  • van Hoorn, André

Abstract

Although economists commonly view the accumulation of human capital as a key driver of economic development, what drives cross-country differences in human capital accumulation remains poorly understood. I use an epidemiological approach involving second-generation migrants to test for a possible cultural gradient in individuals’ propensity towards human capital accumulation. Results indicate a strong relationship between country-of-origin culture and human capital accumulation and are robust to using years of education instead of individuals’ engagement in human capital accumulation as the dependent variable. Drawing on dimensions of cultural differences identified in culture frameworks developed by cross-cultural researchers, results further suggest that cultural emphasis on intellectual autonomy helps explain part of the observed differences in human capital accumulation. However, further work is needed to complete our understanding of the cultural roots of individuals’ propensity towards human capital accumulation.

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  • van Hoorn, André, 2019. "Cultural determinants of human capital accumulation: Evidence from the European Social Survey," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 47(2), pages 429-440.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jcecon:v:47:y:2019:i:2:p:429-440
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jce.2019.01.004
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Culture; Skill accumulation; Epidemiological approach; Intellectual autonomy;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I20 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - General
    • O11 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Macroeconomic Analyses of Economic Development
    • Z10 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - General

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