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Exports of primary goods and human capital accumulation

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  • Yulin Hou
  • Cem Karayalcin

Abstract

Many developing countries have experienced export‐led growth in the last half century. This paper asks whether the content of what economies export matters for human capital accumulation. We construct a small open economy model and find that expansion of primary exports can harm human capital accumulation if the economy is initially allocating significant resources to the production of primary goods. We then test this prediction empirically using Latin American data over the period 1965 to 2010 and find robust evidence in support of the hypothesis that a shift towards primary exports reduces human capital accumulation. Given the importance of the latter for long‐run growth, our results suggest a potential role for policy intervention.

Suggested Citation

  • Yulin Hou & Cem Karayalcin, 2019. "Exports of primary goods and human capital accumulation," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(5), pages 1371-1408, November.
  • Handle: RePEc:bla:reviec:v:27:y:2019:i:5:p:1371-1408
    DOI: 10.1111/roie.12428
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Thomas Ziesemer, 2022. "Global Dynamics of Gini Coefficients of Education for 146 Countries: Update to 1950-2015 and a Compact Guide to the Literature," Bulletin of Applied Economics, Risk Market Journals, vol. 9(1), pages 85-95.
    2. Amjad Taha & Mucahit Aydin & Taiwo Temitope Lasisi & Festus Victor Bekun & Narayan Sethi, 2023. "Toward a sustainable growth path in Arab economies: an extension of classical growth model," Financial Innovation, Springer;Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, vol. 9(1), pages 1-24, December.
    3. Dongmin Kong & Mengxu Xiong, 2021. "Unintended consequences of tax incentives on export product quality: Evidence from a natural experiment in China," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(4), pages 802-837, September.

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