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Institutional Quality Mediates the Effect of Human Capital on Economic Performance

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  • Jonathon Adams-Kane
  • Jamus Jerome Lim

Abstract

This paper considers the relationship between institutional quality, educational outcomes, and economic performance. More specifically, it seeks to establish the linkages by which government effectiveness affects per capita income, via its mediating effect on human capital formation. The empirical approach adopts a two-stage strategy that estimates national-level educational production functions that include government effectiveness as a covariate, and then uses these estimates as instruments for human capital in cross-country regressions of per capita income. The results identify a significant and positive effect of human capital on per capita income levels, and partially resolves the inconsistency between macro- and micro-level studies of the effect of human capital on income. The results also remain robust to alternative specifications, extension to a panel setting, subsamples of the data, and fully endogenous institutions.
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  • Jonathon Adams-Kane & Jamus Jerome Lim, 2016. "Institutional Quality Mediates the Effect of Human Capital on Economic Performance," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20(2), pages 426-442, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:rdevec:v:20:y:2016:i:2:p:426-442
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1111/rode.12236
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    7. Ouedraogo, Idrissa & Ngoa Tabi, Henri & Atangana Ondoa, Henri & Jiya, Alex Nester, 2022. "Institutional quality and human capital development in Africa," Economic Systems, Elsevier, vol. 46(1).
    8. Ghosh, Saibal, 2021. "How important is trust in driving financial inclusion?," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance, Elsevier, vol. 30(C).
    9. Shahbaz, Muhammad & Gozgor, Giray & Hammoudeh, Shawkat, 2019. "Human capital and export diversification as new determinants of energy demand in the United States," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 335-349.
    10. Jonathon Adams-Kane & Jamus Jerome Lim, 2016. "Institutional Quality Mediates the Effect of Human Capital on Economic Performance," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20(2), pages 426-442, May.
    11. Alma Mačiulytė-Šniukienė & Mindaugas Butkus & Renata Macaitienė & Vida Davidavičienė, 2022. "Infrastructure and EU Regional Convergence: What Policy Implications Does Non-Linearity Bring?," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-22, December.
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