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Growth versus equity: A CGE analysis for effects of factor-biased technical progress on economic growth and employment

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  • Jung, Sungmoon
  • Lee, Jeong-Dong
  • Hwang, Won-Sik
  • Yeo, Yeongjun

Abstract

With factor-biased technical progress described as labor-saving and skill-biased technical changes, there are concerns that technological innovation can lead to unemployment and widen inequality in the economy. This study explores impacts of factor-biased technical changes on the economic system in terms of economic growth, employment, and distribution, using a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model. The results show that technological innovation contributes to higher level of economic growth with productivity improvements. However, our analysis suggests that economic growth accompanied by skill- and capital-biased technical progress disproportionately increases demand for capital and high-skilled labor over skilled and unskilled labor. This shift in the value-added composition is found to deepen income inequality, as more people in higher income groups benefit from skill premium and capital earnings. Our results suggest that policymakers should prepare a wide range of policy measures, such as reforms in educational programs and taxation systems, in order to ensure sustainable growth.

Suggested Citation

  • Jung, Sungmoon & Lee, Jeong-Dong & Hwang, Won-Sik & Yeo, Yeongjun, 2017. "Growth versus equity: A CGE analysis for effects of factor-biased technical progress on economic growth and employment," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 424-438.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecmode:v:60:y:2017:i:c:p:424-438
    DOI: 10.1016/j.econmod.2016.10.014
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    2. Zhangqi Zhong & Lingyun He, 2022. "Macro-Regional Economic Structural Change Driven by Micro-founded Technological Innovation Diffusion: An Agent-Based Computational Economic Modeling Approach," Computational Economics, Springer;Society for Computational Economics, vol. 59(2), pages 471-525, February.
    3. Yeo, Yeongjun & Lee, Jeong-Dong, 2020. "Revitalizing the race between technology and education: Investigating the growth strategy for the knowledge-based economy based on a CGE analysis," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
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    9. Zhou, Xiaoxiao & Cai, Ziming & Tan, Kim Hua & Zhang, Linling & Du, Juntao & Song, Malin, 2021. "Technological innovation and structural change for economic development in China as an emerging market," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
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    11. Jinlin Li & Litai Chen & Ying Chen & Jiawen He, 2022. "Digital economy, technological innovation, and green economic efficiency—Empirical evidence from 277 cities in China," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 43(3), pages 616-629, April.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    C68; D58; O30; O40; Innovation; Economic growth; Employment; Computable general equilibrium; South Korea;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C68 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Mathematical Methods; Programming Models; Mathematical and Simulation Modeling - - - Computable General Equilibrium Models
    • D58 - Microeconomics - - General Equilibrium and Disequilibrium - - - Computable and Other Applied General Equilibrium Models
    • O30 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - General
    • O40 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - General

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