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Quality of Work Experience and Economic Development: Estimates Using Canadian Immigrant Data

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  • Serge Coulombe
  • Gilles Grenier
  • Serge Nadeau

Abstract

This paper presents a methodology to measure the contribution of human capital quality to economic development using immigrant data. We document the fact that immigrants from poor countries earn lower returns to schooling and work experience than immigrants from rich countries. We argue that this fact is most consistent with a model in which a country's human capital quality depends on its level of income. Then we use results from regressions of immigrants' earnings to estimate the contribution of human capital quality to economic development. An important finding is that work experience quality is more important than schooling quality for economic development.

Suggested Citation

  • Serge Coulombe & Gilles Grenier & Serge Nadeau, 2014. "Quality of Work Experience and Economic Development: Estimates Using Canadian Immigrant Data," Journal of Human Capital, University of Chicago Press, vol. 8(3), pages 199-234.
    • Handle: RePEc:ucp:jhucap:doi:10.1086/677740
    DOI: 10.1086/677740
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    Cited by:

    1. David Lagakos & Benjamin Moll & Tommaso Porzio & Nancy Qian & Todd Schoellman, 2018. "Life-Cycle Human Capital Accumulation across Countries: Lessons from US Immigrants," Journal of Human Capital, University of Chicago Press, vol. 12(2), pages 305-342.
    2. Nong ZHU & Cécile BATISSE, 2016. "L’Évolution Des Inégalités De Revenu Entre Canadiens De Naissance Et Immigrés," Region et Developpement, Region et Developpement, LEAD, Universite du Sud - Toulon Var, vol. 44, pages 121-140.
    3. Bağçe, Sinem & Yılmaz, Ensar & Kılıç, İbrahim Engin, 2021. "Ethnic identity and economic welfare," Economic Systems, Elsevier, vol. 45(3).
    4. Pu‐yan Nie & Yong‐cong Yang, 2023. "Innovation and competition with human capital input," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 44(3), pages 1779-1785, April.
    5. Serge Coulombe & Gilles Grenier & Serge Nadeau, 2012. "Human Capital Quality and the Immigrant Wage Gap," Working Papers 1212E, University of Ottawa, Department of Economics.
    6. Rosario Aldunate, 2019. "Returns to Work Experience in Chile," Working Papers Central Bank of Chile 855, Central Bank of Chile.
    7. ByeongHwa Choi & Volodymyr Lugovskyy, 2015. "Positive and Negative Effects of Financial Development on Export Prices," CAEPR Working Papers 2015-020, Center for Applied Economics and Policy Research, Department of Economics, Indiana University Bloomington.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration
    • J61 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Geographic Labor Mobility; Immigrant Workers
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • O47 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Empirical Studies of Economic Growth; Aggregate Productivity; Cross-Country Output Convergence
    • O57 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Comparative Studies of Countries

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