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Trade and human capital as determinants of growth

Author

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  • Måns Söderbom
  • Francis Teal

Abstract

Do openness to trade and higher levels of human capital growth promote faster growth? To answer that question we use a panel of countries to investigate the role of human capital and two measures of openness in determining both the level of income and its growth rate. We argue that focusing on the levels of income by estimating a production function will give misleading estimates if there are unobserved differences in the underlying growth of technical efficiency across countries that are correlated with the explanatory variables. Using a growth rate equation, where we allow for country fixed effects and for possible endogeneity of explanatory variables, we show that both measures of openness, one the Sachs-Warner measure which reflects policy, and one from the PENN World Tables, the share of trade in GDP, give similar results. We argue that openness has a highly significant and large effect on the underlying rate of growth of productivity, while human capital does not.

Suggested Citation

  • Måns Söderbom & Francis Teal, 2001. "Trade and human capital as determinants of growth," CSAE Working Paper Series 2001-10, Centre for the Study of African Economies, University of Oxford.
    • Handle: RePEc:csa:wpaper:2001-10
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Belke Ansgar & Wang Lars, 2006. "The Degree of Openness to Intra-Regional Trade - Towards Value-Added Based Openness Measures," Journal of Economics and Statistics (Jahrbuecher fuer Nationaloekonomie und Statistik), De Gruyter, vol. 226(2), pages 115-138, April.
    2. Muhammad Akram & Syed Shabihul Hassan & Muhammad Farhan & Hassan Mobeen Alam, 2011. "Empirical Analysis of Determinants of Economic Growth: Evidence from SAARC Countries," Journal of Economics and Behavioral Studies, AMH International, vol. 3(2), pages 115-121.
    3. Marcel Fafchampsm & Måns Söderbom, 2006. "Wages and Labor Management in African Manufacturing," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 41(2).
    4. Marcel Fafchamps & Mans Söderbom & Najy Benhassine, 2009. "Wage Gaps and Job Sorting in African Manufacturing," Journal of African Economies, Centre for the Study of African Economies, vol. 18(5), pages 824-868, November.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Productivity; openness; human capital and growth;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F43 - International Economics - - Macroeconomic Aspects of International Trade and Finance - - - Economic Growth of Open Economies
    • O11 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Macroeconomic Analyses of Economic Development

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