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The Production of Cognitive and Non-cognitive Human Capital in the Global Economy

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  • Chong Xiang
  • Stephen Yeaple

Abstract

A country’s welfare depends on its ability to accumulate cognitive and non-cognitive human capital. In this paper, we model the productions of cognitive and non-cognitive human capital in general equilibrium. We use revealed comparative advantage to infer countries’ non-cognitive and cognitive productivities without a direct measure for the non-cognitive dimension. Our model also delivers analytical expressions for how non- cognitive and cognitive productivities can be aggregated into a single human-capital quality index, or HCQI, and how HCQI relates to output per worker. Our model allows us to obtain the values of non-cognitive and cognitive productivities and HCQI, using publically available data for a sample of mostly high-income countries. We find that: 1. many countries with low test scores have high non-cognitive productivities; 2. the hard-to-measure non-cognitive human capital is important for HCQI, and HCQI is important for output per worker; 3. the trade-o¤ between cognitive- and non-cognitive productivities can be visualized and analyzed using an iso-HCQI curve: e.g. uneven cognitive and non-cognitive productivities tend to lower HCQI; 4. this trade-o¤ can be quantified, and has policy implications: e.g. excessive attention to test scores may decrease aggregate output; 5. international trade matters, theoretically, for HCQI, because the gains from trade help to compensate a country for uneven productivity across human capital types: e.g. the iso-HCQI curve would have a very different shape under free trade.

Suggested Citation

  • Chong Xiang & Stephen Yeaple, 2018. "The Production of Cognitive and Non-cognitive Human Capital in the Global Economy," NBER Working Papers 24524, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:24524
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Liu, Runjuan & Trefler, Daniel, 2019. "A sorted tale of globalization: White collar jobs and the rise of service offshoring," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 105-122.
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    Cited by:

    1. Hanson, Gordon & Liu, Chen, 2023. "Immigration and occupational comparative advantage," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 145(C).
    2. Yang, Han, 2024. "Dynamic trade, education and intergenerational inequality," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    3. Campbell, Susanna G. & Üngör, Murat, 2020. "Revisiting human capital and aggregate income differences," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 43-64.
    4. Zhang, Yi & Kumar, Sanjay & Huang, Xianhai & Yuan, Yiming, 2023. "Human capital quality and the regional economic growth: Evidence from China," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    5. Maksimova, Mariia, 2019. "The return to non-cognitive skills on the Russian labor market," Applied Econometrics, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), vol. 53, pages 55-72.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • F16 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Trade and Labor Market Interactions
    • F63 - International Economics - - Economic Impacts of Globalization - - - Economic Development
    • F66 - International Economics - - Economic Impacts of Globalization - - - Labor
    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • I25 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Economic Development
    • I26 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Returns to Education
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration
    • O43 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Institutions and Growth
    • O47 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Empirical Studies of Economic Growth; Aggregate Productivity; Cross-Country Output Convergence

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