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Skill-biased technological change, endogenous labor supply and growth: A model and calibration to Poland and the US

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  • Cazzavillan, Guido
  • Olszewski, Krzysztof

Abstract

In this paper skill-biased technological change is linked with endogenous labor supply in a growth model. Elastic labor supply allows us to explain how the observed increasing unemployment of unskilled workers is caused by skill-biased technological change. Using empirical data on wages and education, we construct the time series for the skill-biased technology for Poland and the US. The empirical relevance of the model is tested by calibrating it to empirical data for Poland over the period 1996-2006 and for the US over the period 1992-2008. Our numerical analysis shows that if the skill-biased technological change is not followed by the growth of total factor productivity, then output, physical capital stock and consumption decline. With only two necessary inputs, namely the share of skilled workers in total population and the technology adopted by firms, this model allows to simulate the future behavior of the labor market.

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  • Cazzavillan, Guido & Olszewski, Krzysztof, 2011. "Skill-biased technological change, endogenous labor supply and growth: A model and calibration to Poland and the US," Research in Economics, Elsevier, vol. 65(2), pages 124-136, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:reecon:v:65:y:2011:i:2:p:124-136
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    2. Zheng, Zhijie & Huang, Chien-Yu & Wan, Xi, 2020. "Human Capital and Income Inequality in a Monetary Schumpeterian Growth Model," MPRA Paper 101912, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Steven Lugauer, 2012. "The Supply of Skills in the Labor Force and Aggregate Output Volatility," Working Papers 005, University of Notre Dame, Department of Economics, revised Jun 2012.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Skill-biased technological change Endogenous labor supply Transition Economies;

    JEL classification:

    • O11 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Macroeconomic Analyses of Economic Development
    • O3 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights
    • O41 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - One, Two, and Multisector Growth Models

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