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Quality of Human and Physical Capital and Technological Gaps across Italian Regions

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  • Scoppa, Vincenzo

Abstract

This paper evaluates the relative contribution of factor accumulation and technology in explaining output per worker differences across Italian regions in the period 2000-2004. The contributions of physical and human capital are separately estimated through the variance decomposition of output per worker. Whereas from a basic analysis of development accounting with crude data TFP emerges as a fundamental determinant of output per worker, when more accurate data are used in the estimations of human and physical capital, results change radically, showing a higher importance of factor accumulation with respect to previous standard estimations. Several measures of quality of human and physical capital are introduced: a) individuals’ cognitive skills as measured in international test scores; b) region specific rates of return on human capital; c) public investments and public-subsidized investments are weighted differently from private investment in the determination of physical capital stock. We show that better measurement of factor inputs allows a reduction in the solowian “measure of our ignorance”.

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  • Scoppa, Vincenzo, 2007. "Quality of Human and Physical Capital and Technological Gaps across Italian Regions," MPRA Paper 15740, University Library of Munich, Germany.
  • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:15740
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    Cited by:

    1. Aiello, Francesco & Scoppa, Vincenzo, 2008. "Convergence and Regional Productivity Divide in Italy: Evidence from Panel Data," MPRA Paper 17343, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Breinlich, Holger & Ottaviano, Gianmarco I.P. & Temple, Jonathan R.W., 2014. "Regional Growth and Regional Decline," Handbook of Economic Growth, in: Philippe Aghion & Steven Durlauf (ed.), Handbook of Economic Growth, edition 1, volume 2, chapter 4, pages 683-779, Elsevier.
    3. Thomas Schatzer & Matthias Siller & Janette Walde & Gottfried Tappeiner, 2019. "The Impact of Model Choice on Estimates of Regional TFP," International Regional Science Review, , vol. 42(1), pages 98-116, January.
    4. Vincenzo Scoppa, 2013. "Technological catch-up or neoclassical convergence? Identifying the channels of convergence for Italian regions," Economics and Business Letters, Oviedo University Press, vol. 2(4), pages 169-181.
    5. Giovanni Abramo & Ciriaco Andrea D’Angelo & Francesco Rosati, 2016. "The north–south divide in the Italian higher education system," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 109(3), pages 2093-2117, December.
    6. Marie-Noelle Duquenne & Maria Tsiapa & Valantis Tsiakos, 2019. "Contribution of the Common Agricultural Policy to agricultural productivity of EU regions during 2004–2012 period," Review of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Studies, Springer, vol. 100(1), pages 47-68, December.
    7. Lima, Rita, 2016. "Capitale umano, innovazione tecnologica e divari economici nell’era post-knowledge? Un’analisi econometrica a livello sub nazionale [Human capital, technological innovation and economic gaps in the," MPRA Paper 70539, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. Pablo-Romero, M. del P. & Gómez-Calero, M. de la P., 2013. "A translog production function for the Spanish provinces: Impact of the human and physical capital in economic growth," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 32(C), pages 77-87.
    9. Giuseppe Albanese & Marco M. Sorge, 2010. "On the Production Function for Italy," Rivista Internazionale di Scienze Sociali, Vita e Pensiero, Pubblicazioni dell'Universita' Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, vol. 118(4), pages 401-416.
    10. repec:esx:essedp:729 is not listed on IDEAS
    11. Simone Gitto & Paolo Mancuso, 2015. "The contribution of physical and human capital accumulation to Italian regional growth: a nonparametric perspective," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 43(1), pages 1-12, February.
    12. Mauro Mussini & Biancamaria Zavanella, 2015. "Measuring bipolarization in labour productivity in Italy: a new index and its decomposition by sectors and regional factors," RIVISTA DI ECONOMIA E STATISTICA DEL TERRITORIO, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2015(3), pages 29-55.
    13. Aiello, Francesco & Pupo, Valeria, 2009. "Capacità di gestione, efficienza istituzionale e impatto dei Fondi Strutturali in Italia [The Impact of Structural Funds in Italy]," MPRA Paper 14429, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    14. Francesco Aiello & Valeria Pupo, 2009. "L’Impatto Dei Fondi Strutturali In Italia," Working Papers 200901, Università della Calabria, Dipartimento di Economia, Statistica e Finanza "Giovanni Anania" - DESF.
    15. Valeria Pupo & Francesco Aiello, 2009. "L'impatto della politica regionale dell'Unione Europea. Uno studio sulle regioni italiane," Rivista italiana degli economisti, Società editrice il Mulino, issue 3, pages 421-454.
    16. Pablo-Romero, María del P. & Sánchez-Braza, Antonio, 2015. "Productive energy use and economic growth: Energy, physical and human capital relationships," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 420-429.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Growth; Technological Gaps; Human Capital; Physical Capital; Development Accounting; Quality of inputs;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O47 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Empirical Studies of Economic Growth; Aggregate Productivity; Cross-Country Output Convergence
    • E23 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Production
    • E13 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - General Aggregative Models - - - Neoclassical

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