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Skill-Specific rather than General Education: A Reason for US--Europe Growth Differences?

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Author Info
Dirk Krueger ()
Krishna B. Kumar ()

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Abstract

In this paper, we develop a model of technology adoption and economic growth in which households optimally obtain either a concept-based, "general" education or a skill-specific, "vocational" education. General education is costly to obtain, but enables workers to operate new production technologies. Firms weigh the cost of adopting and operating new technologies against increased profits and optimally choose the level of adoption. We show that an economy whose policies favor vocational education will grow slower in equilibrium than one that favors general education. More importantly, the gap between their growth rates will increase with the growth rate of available technology. By characterizing the optimal Ramsey education policy we also demonstrate that the optimal subsidy for general education increases with the growth rate of available technology. Our theory suggests that European education policies that favored specialized, vocational education might have worked well, both in terms of growth rates and welfare, during the 1960s and 1970s when available technologies changed slowly. However, in the information age of the 1980s and 1990s when new technologies emerged at a more rapid pace, they might have contributed to an increased growth gap relative to the United States.

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Publisher Info
Article provided by Springer in its journal Journal of Economic Growth.

Volume (Year): 9 (2004)
Issue (Month): 2 (06)
Pages: 167-207
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Handle: RePEc:kap:jecgro:v:9:y:2004:i:2:p:167-207

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Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
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    Other versions:
  2. Gould, Eric D & Moav, Omer & Weinberg, Bruce A, 2001. " Precautionary Demand for Education, Inequality, and Technological Progress," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 6(4), pages 285-315, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. Paul Schreyer, 2000. "The Contribution of Information and Communication Technology to Output Growth: A Study of the G7 Countries," OECD Science, Technology and Industry Working Papers 2000/2, OECD, Directorate for Science, Technology and Industry. [Downloadable!]
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  9. Kevin J. Stiroh, 2002. "Information Technology and the U.S. Productivity Revival: What Do the Industry Data Say?," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 92(5), pages 1559-1576, December. [Downloadable!]
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  10. Galor, Oded & Tsiddon, Daniel, 1996. "Technological Progress, Mobility, and Economic Growth," CEPR Discussion Papers 1413, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  11. Oded Galor & Omer Moav, 1998. "Ability Biased Technological Transition, Wage Inequality, and Economic Growth," Working Papers 98-14, Brown University, Department of Economics.
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  12. Acemoglu, Daron, 2002. "Directed Technical Change," Review of Economic Studies, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 69(4), pages 781-809, October.
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  13. Murphy, Kevin M & Shleifer, Andrei & Vishny, Robert W, 1991. "The Allocation of Talent: Implications for Growth," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 106(2), pages 503-30, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  14. Christopher Gust & Jaime Marquez, 2000. "Productivity developments abroad," Federal Reserve Bulletin, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.), issue Oct, pages 665-681. [Downloadable!]
  15. Lars Ljungqvist & Thomas J. Sargent, 1998. "The European Unemployment Dilemma," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 106(3), pages 514-550, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Ludwig, Volker & Pfeiffer, Friedhelm, 2005. "Abschreibungsraten allgemeiner und beruflicher Ausbildungsinhalte," ZEW Discussion Papers 05-36, ZEW - Zentrum für Europäische Wirtschaftsforschung / Center for European Economic Research. [Downloadable!]
  2. Brunello, Giorgio & Giannini, Massimo & Ariga, Kenn, 2004. "The Optimal Timing of School Tracking," IZA Discussion Papers 995, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
  3. Guido Schwerdt & Jarkko Turunen, 2007. "Changes in Human Capital: Implications for Productivity Growth in the Euro Area," Ifo Working Paper Series Ifo Working Paper No. 53, Ifo Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich. [Downloadable!]
  4. Katsunori Yamada, 2005. "Public versus Private Education in an Endogenous Growth Model with Social Status," Economics Bulletin, Economics Bulletin, vol. 15(11), pages 1-9. [Downloadable!]
  5. Zon,Adriaan ,van & Antonietti,Roberto, 2005. "Education and Training in a Model of Endogenous Growth with Creative Destruction," Research Memoranda 010, Maastricht : MERIT, Maastricht Economic Research Institute on Innovation and Technology. [Downloadable!]
  6. Schwerdt, Guido & Turunen, Jarkko, 2006. "Growth in Euro Area Labour Quality," CEPR Discussion Papers 5509, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  7. Martin Gervais & Igor Livshits & Césaire Meh, 2007. "Uncertainty and the Specificity of Human Capital," Working Papers 07-57, Bank of Canada. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  8. Winfried Koeniger & Marco Leonardi, 2006. "Capital Deepening and Wage Differentials: Germany vs. US," IZA Discussion Papers 2065, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
  9. Piva, Mariacristina & Santarelli, Enrico & Vivarelli, Marco, 2003. "The Skill Bias Effect of Technological and Organisational Change: Evidence and Policy Implications," IZA Discussion Papers 934, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  10. Wolfgang Franz & Friedhelm Pfeiffer, 2006. "Reasons for Wage Rigidity in Germany," IZA Discussion Papers 2017, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
  11. Schneeweis, Nicole & Winter-Ebmer, Rudolf, 2005. "Peer Effects in Austrian Schools," Economics Series 170, Institute for Advanced Studies. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  12. Christina Gathmann & Uta Schönberg, 2006. "How General Is Specific Human Capital?," IZA Discussion Papers 2485, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
  13. Ashley Lester, 2005. "Inequality And The Dual Economy: Technology Adoption With Specific And General Skills," CAMA Working Papers 2006-01, Australian National University, Centre for Applied Macroeconomic Analysis. [Downloadable!]
  14. Volker Caspari & Günther Rehme & Jens Rubart, 2004. "Education, Research, and Economic Growth," Darmstadt Discussion Papers in Economics 138, Institut für Volkswirtschaftslehre (Department of Economics), Technische Universität Darmstadt (Darmstadt University of Technology). [Downloadable!]
  15. Felix Reichling, 2005. "Retraining the Unemployed in a Matching Model with Turbulence," Macroeconomics 0506012, EconWPA. [Downloadable!]
  16. Adriaan Van Zon & Roberto Antonietti, 2007. "Education and Training in a Model of Endogenous Growth with Creative Wear-and-Tear," "Marco Fanno" Working Papers 0057, Dipartimento di Scienze Economiche "Marco Fanno". [Downloadable!]
  17. Ernest Gnan & Juergen Janger & Johann Scharler, 2004. "Determinants of Long-Term Growth in Austria — A Call for a National Growth Strategy," Monetary Policy & the Economy, Oesterreichische Nationalbank (Austrian Central Bank), issue 1, pages 23-46, May. [Downloadable!]
  18. Ofer Malamud & Cristian Pop-Eleches, 2008. "General Education vs. Vocational Training: Evidence from an Economy in Transition," NBER Working Papers 14155, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  19. Bert Minne & Marc van der Steeg & Dinand Webbink, 2008. "Skill gaps in the EU: role for education and training policies," CPB Documents 162, CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis. [Downloadable!]
  20. Dirk Krueger & Krishna B. Kumar, 2003. "US-Europe Differences in Technology-Driven Growth: Quantifying the Role of Education," NBER Working Papers 10001, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  21. Krishna B. Kumar & John G. Matsusaka, 2004. "Village versus Market Social Capital: An Approach to Development," Development and Comp Systems 0408003, EconWPA. [Downloadable!]
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