IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/empiri/v37y2010i4p361-380.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Complementarity between heterogeneous human capital and R&D: can job-training avoid low development traps?

Author

Listed:
  • Sergio Scicchitano

Abstract

This paper uses a non-overlapping generations model of endogenous growth to describe the effect of human capital’s heterogeneity on economic growth. In the model, workers can accumulate human capital not only through education, but also through on-the-job training (j-t); enterpreneurs can invest in R&D and can offer training. We model two different typologies of training. The first, technology-general (T-GT), is offered even without R&D and to all workers; the second one, technologyspecific T-S T), is joined to the success of innovative activity and provided just to those workers engaged in research. The paper, by extending Redding (1996), demonstrates that human capital composition, which is often neglected in endogenous growth models, is important in determining the probability of innovation occurring and the economy’s rate of growth. In particular, it shows that complementarities between different types of human capital investment are important. Moreover, training causes a multiplicity of equilibria in education investment and rate of growth, and technology-general training avoids low development traps when R&D is absent.
(This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.)

Suggested Citation

  • Sergio Scicchitano, 2010. "Complementarity between heterogeneous human capital and R&D: can job-training avoid low development traps?," Empirica, Springer;Austrian Institute for Economic Research;Austrian Economic Association, vol. 37(4), pages 361-380, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:empiri:v:37:y:2010:i:4:p:361-380
    DOI: 10.1007/s10663-009-9113-8
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1007/s10663-009-9113-8
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10663-009-9113-8?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to look for a different version below or search for a different version of it.

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Wooseok Ok & Peter Tergeist, 2003. "Improving Workers' Skills: Analytical Evidence and the Role of the Social Partners," OECD Social, Employment and Migration Working Papers 10, OECD Publishing.
    2. Acemoglu, Daron & Pischke, Jorn-Steffen, 1999. "Beyond Becker: Training in Imperfect Labour Markets," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 109(453), pages 112-142, February.
    3. Stefania Zotteri, 2002. "Heterogeneity in Human Capital and Economic Growth," Temi di discussione (Economic working papers) 455, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    4. Daron Acemoglu & Jörn-Steffen Pischke, 1998. "Why Do Firms Train? Theory and Evidence," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 113(1), pages 79-119.
    5. Robert E. Hall & Charles I. Jones, 1999. "Why do Some Countries Produce So Much More Output Per Worker than Others?," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 114(1), pages 83-116.
    6. Benhabib, Jess & Spiegel, Mark M., 1994. "The role of human capital in economic development evidence from aggregate cross-country data," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 34(2), pages 143-173, October.
    7. Mikael Lindahl & Alan B. Krueger, 2001. "Education for Growth: Why and for Whom?," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 39(4), pages 1101-1136, December.
    8. Philippe Aghion & Peter Howitt, 1994. "Growth and Unemployment," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 61(3), pages 477-494.
    9. Bartel, Ann P & Lichtenberg, Frank R, 1987. "The Comparative Advantage of Educated Workers in Implementing New Technology," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 69(1), pages 1-11, February.
    10. Aghion, Philippe & Howitt, Peter, 1992. "A Model of Growth through Creative Destruction," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 60(2), pages 323-351, March.
    11. Alan Barrett & Philip J. O'Connell, 2001. "Does Training Generally Work? The Returns to in-Company Training," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 54(3), pages 647-662, April.
    12. Benhabib, Jess & Spiegel, Mark M., 2005. "Human Capital and Technology Diffusion," Handbook of Economic Growth, in: Philippe Aghion & Steven Durlauf (ed.), Handbook of Economic Growth, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 13, pages 935-966, Elsevier.
    13. Jörn-Steffen Pischke, 2001. "Continuous training in Germany," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 14(3), pages 523-548.
    14. Duffy, John & Papageorgiou, Chris, 2000. "A Cross-Country Empirical Investigation of the Aggregate Production Function Specification," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 5(1), pages 87-120, March.
    15. Muthoo,Abhinay, 1999. "Bargaining Theory with Applications," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521576475.
    16. Peter J. Klenow & Mark Bils, 2000. "Does Schooling Cause Growth?," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 90(5), pages 1160-1183, December.
    17. Kenn Ariga & Giorgio Brunello, 2006. "Are Education and Training Always Complements? Evidence from Thailand," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 59(4), pages 613-629, July.
    18. Ariga, Kenn & Brunello, Giorgio, 2002. "Are the More Educated Receiving More Training? Evidence from Thailand," IZA Discussion Papers 577, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    19. Van Reenen, John & Dearden, Lorraine & Reed, Howard, 2000. "Who Gains when Workers Train? Training and Corporate Productivity in a Panel of British Industries," CEPR Discussion Papers 2486, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    20. Brunello, Giorgio, 2001. "On the Complementarity between Education and Training in Europe," IZA Discussion Papers 309, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    21. Huw Lloyd-Ellis & Joanne Roberts, 2000. "Twin Engines of Growth," Working Papers jorob-00-02, University of Toronto, Department of Economics.
    22. Barbara Sianesi & John Van Reenen, 2003. "The Returns to Education: Macroeconomics," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 17(2), pages 157-200, April.
    23. Philippe Aghion & Steven Durlauf (ed.), 2005. "Handbook of Economic Growth," Handbook of Economic Growth, Elsevier, edition 1, volume 1, number 1.
    24. Acemoglu, D., 1994. "Search in the Labor market: Incomplete Contracts and Growth," Working papers 94-23, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Department of Economics.
    25. Giorgio Brunello, 2004. "Labour Market Institutions and the Complementarity between Education and Training in Europe," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Daniele Checchi & Claudio Lucifora (ed.), Education, Training and Labour Market Outcomes in Europe, chapter 8, pages 188-210, Palgrave Macmillan.
    26. Jerik Hanushek & Dennis Kimko, 2006. "Schooling, Labor-force Quality, and the Growth of Nations," Voprosy obrazovaniya / Educational Studies Moscow, National Research University Higher School of Economics, issue 1, pages 154-193.
    27. Baldwin, John R. & Yates, Janice, 1999. "Innovation, Training and Success," Analytical Studies Branch Research Paper Series 1999137e, Statistics Canada, Analytical Studies Branch.
    28. Costas Azariadis & Allan Drazen, 1990. "Threshold Externalities in Economic Development," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 105(2), pages 501-526.
    29. Redding, Stephen, 1996. "The Low-Skill, Low-Quality Trap: Strategic Complementarities between Human Capital and R&D," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 106(435), pages 458-470, March.
    30. Baldwin, John R. & Peters, Valerie, 2001. "Training as a Human Resource Strategy: The Response to Staff Shortages and Technological Change," Analytical Studies Branch Research Paper Series 2001154e, Statistics Canada, Analytical Studies Branch.
    31. Barbara Sianesi, 2002. "The returns to education: a review of the empirical macro-economic literature," IFS Working Papers W02/05, Institute for Fiscal Studies.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Zeeshan Ullah & Ahmad Arslan, 2022. "R&D contribution to sustainable product attributes development: The complementarity of human capital," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 30(5), pages 902-915, October.
    2. Adriaan Zon & Roberto Antonietti, 2016. "Education and training in a model of endogenous growth with creative wear-and-tear," Economia Politica: Journal of Analytical and Institutional Economics, Springer;Fondazione Edison, vol. 33(1), pages 35-62, April.
    3. Sergio Scicchitano, 2007. "On the complementarity between on-the-job training and R&D: a brief overview," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 15(2), pages 1-11.
    4. Pruethsan Sutthichaimethee & Boonton Dockthaisong, 2018. "A Relationship of Causal Factors in the Economic, Social, and Environmental Aspects Affecting the Implementation of Sustainability Policy in Thailand: Enriching the Path Analysis Based on a GMM Model," Resources, MDPI, vol. 7(4), pages 1-26, December.
    5. Hector Sala & José Silva, 2013. "Labor productivity and vocational training: evidence from Europe," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 40(1), pages 31-41, August.
    6. Ming Zhang & Xiaorong Zou & Long Sha, 2019. "Social Security and Sustainable Economic Growth: Based on the Perspective of Human Capital," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-14, January.
    7. Ainaa, Carmen & Brunetti, Irene & Mussida, Chiara & Scicchitano, Sergio, 2021. "Who lost the most? Distributive effects of COVID-19 pandemic," GLO Discussion Paper Series 829, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    8. Yan Zhao & Hui Sun & Xuechao Xia & Dianyuan Ma, 2023. "Can R&D Intensity Reduce Carbon Emissions Intensity? Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-24, January.
    9. Ipsita Roy & Uwe Cantner & Wolfgang Gerstlberger, 2020. "Works councils, training activities and innovation: a study of German firms," International Journal of Human Resources Development and Management, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 20(3/4), pages 269-294.
    10. R. Antonietti, 2006. "The skill content of technological change. Some conjectures on the role of education and job-training in reducing the timing of new technology adoption," Working Papers 556, Dipartimento Scienze Economiche, Universita' di Bologna.
    11. Nicu Marcu & Marian Siminică & Graţiela Georgiana Noja & Mirela Cristea & Carmen Elena Dobrotă, 2018. "Migrants’ Integration on the European Labor Market: A Spatial Bootstrap, SEM and Network Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-20, December.
    12. repec:rre:publsh:v:40:y:2010:i:1:p:99-124 is not listed on IDEAS
    13. Esposito, Piero & Scicchitano, Sergio, 2022. "Educational mismatch and labour market transitions in Italy: Is there an unemployment trap?," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 138-155.
    14. Jamiu Adetola Odugbesan & Husam Rjoub, 2019. "Relationship among HIV/AIDS Prevalence, Human Capital, Good Governance, and Sustainable Development: Empirical Evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-17, March.
    15. Francisco Guijarro, 2018. "Characteristics of Unemployed People, Training Attendance and Job Searching Success in the Valencian Region (Spain)," Data, MDPI, vol. 3(4), pages 1-12, November.
    16. Shangmei Zhao & Jiang He & Haijun Yang, 2018. "Population Ageing, Financial Deepening and Economic Growth: Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-15, December.
    17. Luigi Reggi & Sergio Scicchitano, 2011. "European Regions Financing Public e-Services: the Case of EU Structural Funds," Working Papers 1110, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, Department of Economics, Society & Politics - Scientific Committee - L. Stefanini & G. Travaglini, revised 2011.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. repec:ebl:ecbull:v:15:y:2007:i:2:p:1-11 is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Sergio Scicchitano, 2007. "On the complementarity between on-the-job training and R&D: a brief overview," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 15(2), pages 1-11.
    3. Mastromarco, Camilla & Ghosh, Sucharita, 2009. "Foreign Capital, Human Capital, and Efficiency: A Stochastic Frontier Analysis for Developing Countries," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 37(2), pages 489-502, February.
    4. Angel de la Fuente & Antonio Ciccone, 2003. "Human capital in a global and knowledge-based economy," UFAE and IAE Working Papers 562.03, Unitat de Fonaments de l'Anàlisi Econòmica (UAB) and Institut d'Anàlisi Econòmica (CSIC).
    5. Michael S. Delgado & Daniel J. Henderson & Christopher F. Parmeter, 2014. "Does Education Matter for Economic Growth?," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 76(3), pages 334-359, June.
    6. Luigi Reggi & Sergio Scicchitano, 2011. "European Regions Financing Public e-Services: the Case of EU Structural Funds," Working Papers 1110, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, Department of Economics, Society & Politics - Scientific Committee - L. Stefanini & G. Travaglini, revised 2011.
    7. Benhabib, Jess & Spiegel, Mark M., 2005. "Human Capital and Technology Diffusion," Handbook of Economic Growth, in: Philippe Aghion & Steven Durlauf (ed.), Handbook of Economic Growth, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 13, pages 935-966, Elsevier.
    8. Capolupo, Rosa, 2009. "The New Growth Theories and Their Empirics after Twenty Years," Economics - The Open-Access, Open-Assessment E-Journal (2007-2020), Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel), vol. 3, pages 1-72.
    9. Schiffbauer, Marc, 2006. "Theoretical and methodological study on the role of public policies in fostering innovation and growth," Papers DYNREG04, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).
    10. Eric A. Hanushek & Ludger Woessmann, 2008. "The Role of Cognitive Skills in Economic Development," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 46(3), pages 607-668, September.
    11. Rita Asplund, 2005. "The Provision and Effects of Company Training: A Brief Review of the Literature," Nordic Journal of Political Economy, Nordic Journal of Political Economy, vol. 31, pages 47-73.
    12. Adriaan van Zon & Robert Antonietti, 2004. "On the Role of Education and Training as Drivers of Growth," DEGIT Conference Papers c009_027, DEGIT, Dynamics, Economic Growth, and International Trade.
    13. Simeonova-Ganeva, Ralitsa, 2006. "Влияние На Човешкия Капитал Върху Икономическия Растеж (България, 1949-2005 Г.) [The Impact of Human Capital on the Economic Growth (Bulgaria, 1949-2005)]," MPRA Paper 37244, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    14. Antonio Ciccone & Elias Papaioannou, 2009. "Human Capital, the Structure of Production, and Growth," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 91(1), pages 66-82, February.
    15. Hideki Toya & Mark Skidmore & Raymond Robertson, 2010. "A Reevaluation of the Effect of Human Capital Accumulation on Economic Growth Using Natural Disasters as an Instrument," Eastern Economic Journal, Palgrave Macmillan;Eastern Economic Association, vol. 36(1), pages 120-137.
    16. Glawe, Linda & Wagner, Helmut, 2022. "Is schooling the same as learning? – The impact of the learning-adjusted years of schooling on growth in a dynamic panel data framework," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    17. Bos, J.W.B. & Economidou, C. & Koetter, M. & Kolari, J.W., 2010. "Do all countries grow alike?," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 91(1), pages 113-127, January.
    18. Pereira, João & St. Aubyn, Miguel, 2009. "What level of education matters most for growth?: Evidence from Portugal," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 28(1), pages 67-73, February.
    19. Wößmann, Ludger, 2000. "Specifying Human Capital: A Review, Some Extensions, and Development Effects," Kiel Working Papers 1007, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    20. Jean-Louis ARCAND & Béatrice D'HOMBRES, 2002. "Explaining the Negative Coefficient Associated with Human Capital in Augmented Solow Growth Regressions," Working Papers 200227, CERDI.
    21. Patrick M. Emerson & Bruce McGough, 2018. "Learning About Education," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 56(1), pages 263-277, January.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    General versus specific training; Innovation; Heterogeneous human capital; Endogenous growth; I2; J24; J31; O3; O40;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I2 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • O3 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights
    • O40 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - General

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:kap:empiri:v:37:y:2010:i:4:p:361-380. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.