IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v11y2019i23p6823-d292925.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

An Empirical Study of the Role of Higher Education in Building a Green Economy

Author

Listed:
  • Wenjuan Gao

    (Graduate School of Education, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China)

  • Xiaohao Ding

    (Graduate School of Education, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
    The Institute of Educational Economics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China)

  • Ran Chen

    (Graduate School of Education, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China)

  • Weifang Min

    (Graduate School of Education, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
    The Institute of Educational Economics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
    National School of Development, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China)

Abstract

The relationship between higher education and economic development has long been emphasized in the research on economics and education. Much of the existing literature focuses on the gross domestic product (GDP) as a core measure of a nation’s economic accounting system, but this may neglect some negative effects of production, such as resource depletion and environmental damage. Under such circumstances, the concept of “green GDP” was conceived to consider environmental influence simultaneously with the economy. It is, however, only theoretically feasible due to the complexity in calculating environmental pollution and the unavailability of data about resource consumption. Considering the measurement problems, this paper proposes a new approach to indirectly estimate green GDP. Using this approach, we mainly explore the impact of higher education on economic growth, especially regarding the development of a green economy. Results show that (a) higher education plays a significant role in building a green economy, and (b) green GDP is more responsive to changes in higher education than the traditional GDP. This study provides empirical evidence for the substantial contribution that higher education makes in promoting green economic growth to achieve comprehensive sustainable development.

Suggested Citation

  • Wenjuan Gao & Xiaohao Ding & Ran Chen & Weifang Min, 2019. "An Empirical Study of the Role of Higher Education in Building a Green Economy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(23), pages 1-14, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:23:p:6823-:d:292925
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/23/6823/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/23/6823/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Talberth, John & Bohara, Alok K., 2006. "Economic openness and green GDP," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 58(4), pages 743-758, July.
    2. Stone, Richard, 1997. "The Accounts of Society," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 87(6), pages 17-29, December.
    3. Hamilton, Clive, 1999. "The genuine progress indicator methodological developments and results from Australia," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 30(1), pages 13-28, July.
    4. Robert M. Solow, 1956. "A Contribution to the Theory of Economic Growth," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 70(1), pages 65-94.
    5. Stone, Richard, 1986. "Nobel Memorial Lecture 1984: The Accounts of Society," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 1(1), pages 5-28, January.
    6. Lin, Tin-Chun, 2004. "The role of higher education in economic development: an empirical study of Taiwan case," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 15(2), pages 355-371, April.
    7. Katarina R. I. Keller, 2006. "Investment In Primary, Secondary, And Higher Education And The Effects On Economic Growth," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 24(1), pages 18-34, January.
    8. N. Gregory Mankiw & David Romer & David N. Weil, 1992. "A Contribution to the Empirics of Economic Growth," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 107(2), pages 407-437.
    9. Barro, Robert J. & Lee, Jong-Wha, 1994. "Sources of economic growth," Carnegie-Rochester Conference Series on Public Policy, Elsevier, vol. 40(1), pages 1-46, June.
    10. Boyd, James, 2007. "Nonmarket benefits of nature: What should be counted in green GDP?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 61(4), pages 716-723, March.
    11. Stockhammer, Engelbert & Hochreiter, Harald & Obermayr, Bernhard & Steiner, Klaus, 1997. "The index of sustainable economic welfare (ISEW) as an alternative to GDP in measuring economic welfare. The results of the Austrian (revised) ISEW calculation 1955-1992," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 21(1), pages 19-34, April.
    12. Kwabena Gyimah-Brempong & Oliver Paddison & Workie Mitiku, 2006. "Higher education and economic growth in Africa," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 42(3), pages 509-529.
    13. Yao, Yang, 2014. "The Chinese Growth Miracle," Handbook of Economic Growth, in: Philippe Aghion & Steven Durlauf (ed.), Handbook of Economic Growth, edition 1, volume 2, chapter 7, pages 943-1031, Elsevier.
    14. Simon Kuznets, 1941. "National Income, 1919-1938," NBER Books, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc, number kuzn41-2, June.
    15. Kyriacou, George A., 1991. "Level and Growth Effects of Human Capital: A Cross-Country Study of the Convergence Hypothesis," Working Papers 91-26, C.V. Starr Center for Applied Economics, New York University.
    16. Lucas, Robert Jr., 1988. "On the mechanics of economic development," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 22(1), pages 3-42, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Kemal Erkisi & Melike Cetin, 2024. "Dynamics of Economic Complexity in Canada: A Multifaceted Long-Term Analysis," Economic Studies journal, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences - Economic Research Institute, issue 7, pages 3-20.
    2. Elżbieta Izabela Szczepankiewicz & Jan Fazlagić & Windham Loopesko, 2021. "A Conceptual Model for Developing Climate Education in Sustainability Management Education System," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-26, January.
    3. Lei Wang & Wei Li & Guomin Li & Guozhen Zhang, 2021. "Concept Evolution and Multi-Dimensional Measurement Comparison of Urban Energy Performance from the Perspective of System Correlation: Empirical Analysis of 142 Prefecture Level Cities in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(24), pages 1-21, December.
    4. Nihal Ahmed & Adnan Ahmed Sheikh & Bilal Hassan & Sajjad Nawaz Khan & Ricardo Cosio Borda & Juan Martín Campos Huamán & Piotr Senkus, 2022. "The Role of Educating the Labor Force in Sustaining a Green Economy in MINT Countries: Panel Symmetric and Asymmetric Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-12, September.
    5. Haiying Xu & Wei-Ling Hsu & Teen-Hang Meen & Ju Hua Zhu, 2020. "Can Higher Education, Economic Growth and Innovation Ability Improve Each Other?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-18, March.
    6. Boris Raj Borgohain & Krishna Kumar Singh, 2022. "An Empirical Analysis Using Machine Learning to Identify Features Influencing the Green Economy of India," Jindal Journal of Business Research, , vol. 11(1), pages 7-23, June.
    7. Xiaohao Ding & Yifan Huang & Wenjuan Gao & Weifang Min, 2021. "A Comparative Study of the Impacts of Human Capital and Physical Capital on Building Sustainable Economies at Different Stages of Economic Development," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-14, October.
    8. Yuzhuo Cai & Jinyuan Ma & Qiongqiong Chen, 2020. "Higher Education in Innovation Ecosystems," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-12, May.
    9. Nuoya Yue & Junjun Hou, 2024. "A Study of GGDP Transition Impact on the Sustainable Development by Mathematical Modelling Investigation," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 12(19), pages 1-16, September.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. de la Fuente, Angel, 1997. "The empirics of growth and convergence: A selective review," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 21(1), pages 23-73, January.
    2. Dale Jorgenson & Eric Yip, 2001. "Whatever Happened to Productivity Growth?," NBER Chapters, in: New Developments in Productivity Analysis, pages 509-540, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    3. Panagiotis Pegkas & Constantinos Tsamadias, 2014. "Does Higher Education Affect Economic Growth? The Case of Greece," International Economic Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(3), pages 425-444, September.
    4. Paravee Maneejuk & Woraphon Yamaka, 2021. "The Impact of Higher Education on Economic Growth in ASEAN-5 Countries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-28, January.
    5. Panagiotis Pegkas & Constantinos Tsamadias, 2017. "Are There Separate Effects of Male and Female Higher Education on Economic Growth? Evidence from Greece," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 8(1), pages 279-293, March.
    6. ?gel de la Fuente, "undated". "Convergence Across Countries And Regions: Theory And Empirics," UFAE and IAE Working Papers 447.00, Unitat de Fonaments de l'Anàlisi Econòmica (UAB) and Institut d'Anàlisi Econòmica (CSIC).
    7. Turnovsky, S., 2000. "Growth in an Open Economy: some Recent Developments," Papers 5, Warwick - Development Economics Research Centre.
    8. Bloom, David E. & Canning, David & Kotschy, Rainer & Prettner, Klaus & Schünemann, Johannes, 2024. "Health and economic growth: Reconciling the micro and macro evidence," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 178(C).
    9. Mussarat Khan, 2016. "Contribution of female human capital in economic growth: an empirical analysis of Pakistan (1972–2012)," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 50(2), pages 709-728, March.
    10. Oziengbe Scott Aigheyisi, 2021. "Threshold Effects of Import Dependence of Economic Growth in Nigeria," ACTA VSFS, University of Finance and Administration, vol. 15(2), pages 198-219.
    11. Durlauf, Steven N. & Quah, Danny T., 1999. "The new empirics of economic growth," Handbook of Macroeconomics, in: J. B. Taylor & M. Woodford (ed.), Handbook of Macroeconomics, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 4, pages 235-308, Elsevier.
    12. Lorenzo Serrano-Martínez, 1999. "Capital humano, estructura sectorial y crecimiento en las regiones españolas," Investigaciones Economicas, Fundación SEPI, vol. 23(2), pages 225-249, May.
    13. Voxi Heinrich Amavilah & Antonio Rodríguez Andrés, 2024. "Knowledge Economy and the Economic Performance of African Countries: A Seemingly Unrelated and Recursive Approach," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 15(1), pages 110-143, March.
    14. Lee, Jim, 2011. "Export specialization and economic growth around the world," Economic Systems, Elsevier, vol. 35(1), pages 45-63, March.
    15. Aurora Teixeira & Natércia Fortuna, 2003. "Human Capital, Innovation Capability and Economic Growth," FEP Working Papers 131, Universidade do Porto, Faculdade de Economia do Porto.
    16. Maite Blázquez & José Ramos, 2008. "Disparidades entre educación formal y educación en el puesto de trabajo," Revista de Economía Laboral - Spanish Journal of Labour Economics, Asociación Española de Economía Laboral - AEET, vol. 5, pages 1-32.
    17. Themba G. Chirwa & Nicholas M. Odhiambo, 2019. "The nexus between key macroeconomic determinants and economic growth in Zambia: a dynamic multivariate Granger causality linkage," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 57(1), pages 301-327, July.
    18. Haiqing Yu & Shukuan Zhao & Xiaobo Xu & Yilin Wang, 2014. "An Empirical Study on the Dynamic Relationship between Higher Educational Investment and Economic Growth using VAR Model," Systems Research and Behavioral Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(3), pages 461-470, May.
    19. ERREYGERS, Guido & FEREDE, Tadele, 2009. "The end of subsistence farming: Growth dynamics and investments in human and environmental capital in rural Ethiopia," Working Papers 2009008, University of Antwerp, Faculty of Business and Economics.
    20. A. Bergeaud & G. Cette & R. Lecat, 2016. "The role of production factor quality and technology diffusion in 20th century productivity growth," Working papers 588, Banque de France.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:23:p:6823-:d:292925. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.