Download This PaperThe Impact of Human Capital Attainments on Productivity Growth: An Empirical Investigation
American Based Research Journal, Vol. 6 Issue 10, October, 2017
15 Pages Posted: 8 May 2020
Date Written: October 01, 2017
Abstract
Productivity growth is the backbone of the economy and the key to a sustained economic growth. The important role of human capital in productivity growth has been widely recognized since the seminal works of Schultz (1961), Becker (1964), Welch (1970) and Mincer (1974). Nelson and Phelps (1966) argued that highly-skilled workers are relatively more productive than low-skilled ones and expected to lead to higher productivity growth. Consequently, in an effort to enhance the education quality to boost the economic and productivity growth, many governments invest more in their "driven- growth" sectors including the education sector to yield productive workforce. On this ground, and through the application of Johansen Co-integration test and Error Correction Methodology (CI/ECM), this paper aims at investigating the role of human capital quality in productivity growth in Egypt over the period (1980- 2014). Results reveal that owing to the "drag" type of the education system and the "over-education" phenomenon besides the brain drain, the highly educated workers negatively impact labor productivity growth. Therefore, more efforts should be carried in order for the resulting "output" of the education system to be productive as thought to be.
Keywords: Education Quality, Labor Productivity Growth, Johansen Co-Integration Test, ECM, Over-Education Phenomenon
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation