IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/eurase/v9y2019i3d10.1007_s40822-018-0110-8.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Duality in human capital accumulation and inequality in income distribution

Author

Listed:
  • Hiroaki Hayakawa

    (Universiti Brunei Darussalam)

  • Yannis P. Venieris

    (San Diego State University
    Claremont Graduate University)

Abstract

In view of the dualities in human capital and the inequality of income and wealth distribution that exist in general and, more conspicuously, in the third world, this paper puts forth a strategic choice model to analyze how such dualities and inequality are strengthened and sustained over time. Ignoring inertia, we argue that this is the outcome of strategic choices made by individual agents on how much human capital to accumulate as an endogenous response to technological innovations. Our analysis takes account of the fact that the various qualities of human capital are complementary to the productivity of each other, hence turning human capital accumulation by the rich and the poor into choices that exhibit strategic complementarities. Such complementarities could potentially increase the productivity of labor at its micro and macro levels, promote growth, and contribute to reducing inequality in income distribution. The model explains why the dualities in human capital arise through such choices and why such dualities get worse with economic growth if it is accompanied by inflation unless the cost of education facing the poor is reined in. The analysis is extended to explain how the dualities in health capital mirror those in human capital. We also argue in favor of the plausible multiplier effects that the human capital accumulation and ensuing innovations may trigger further endogenous growth. Finally, the analysis invites a debate in regard to the type and level of education and policy objectives that will meet the need of the technology of the time.

Suggested Citation

  • Hiroaki Hayakawa & Yannis P. Venieris, 2019. "Duality in human capital accumulation and inequality in income distribution," Eurasian Economic Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 9(3), pages 285-310, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:eurase:v:9:y:2019:i:3:d:10.1007_s40822-018-0110-8
    DOI: 10.1007/s40822-018-0110-8
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s40822-018-0110-8
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s40822-018-0110-8?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Romer, Paul M, 1986. "Increasing Returns and Long-run Growth," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 94(5), pages 1002-1037, October.
    2. Eric Hanushek & Ludger Woessmann, 2012. "Do better schools lead to more growth? Cognitive skills, economic outcomes, and causation," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 17(4), pages 267-321, December.
    3. Funke, Michael & Strulik, Holger, 2000. "On endogenous growth with physical capital, human capital and product variety," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 44(3), pages 491-515, March.
    4. Angus Deaton, 2003. "Health, Inequality, and Economic Development," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 41(1), pages 113-158, March.
    5. Stavros A. Drakopoulos, 2011. "Economic Policies, Political Considerations and Overall Health," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(3), pages 273-286, December.
    6. Hiroaki Hayakawa & Yannis P. Venieris, 2017. "The Invisible Hand of Rent Seeking: Capitalism, Democracy, and the Budget Deficits," Journal of Reviews on Global Economics, Lifescience Global, vol. 6, pages 380-394.
    7. 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.
    8. Regina T. Riphahn, 1999. "Income and employment effects of health shocks A test case for the German welfare state," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 12(3), pages 363-389.
    9. Hillman, Arye L., 2002. "The World Bank and the persistence of poverty in poor countries," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 18(4), pages 783-795, November.
    10. Mincer, Jacob, 1984. "Human capital and economic growth," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 3(3), pages 195-205, June.
    11. Easterly, William & Fischer, Stanley, 2001. "Inflation and the Poor," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 33(2), pages 160-178, May.
    12. Spence, Michael, 1974. "Competitive and optimal responses to signals: An analysis of efficiency and distribution," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 7(3), pages 296-332, March.
    13. Noorbakhsh, Farhad & Paloni, Alberto & Youssef, Ali, 2001. "Human Capital and FDI Inflows to Developing Countries: New Empirical Evidence," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 29(9), pages 1593-1610, September.
    14. Andrea Bassanini & Stefano Scarpetta, 2003. "The Driving Forces of Economic Growth: Panel Data Evidence for the OECD Countries," OECD Economic Studies, OECD Publishing, vol. 2001(2), pages 9-56.
    15. 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.
    16. T. W. Swan, 1956. "ECONOMIC GROWTH and CAPITAL ACCUMULATION," The Economic Record, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 32(2), pages 334-361, November.
    17. Benhabib, Jess & Spiegel, Mark M., 1994. "The role of human capital in economic development evidence from aggregate cross-country data," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 34(2), pages 143-173, October.
    18. Teixeira, Aurora A.C. & Queirós, Anabela S.S., 2016. "Economic growth, human capital and structural change: A dynamic panel data analysis," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(8), pages 1636-1648.
    19. Asian Development Bank Institute, 2017. "Innovative Strategies in Higher Education for Accelerated Human Resource Development in South Asia: Bangladesh," Working Papers id:11818, eSocialSciences.
    20. Jerik Hanushek & Dennis Kimko, 2006. "Schooling, Labor-force Quality, and the Growth of Nations," Voprosy obrazovaniya / Educational Studies Moscow, National Research University Higher School of Economics, issue 1, pages 154-193.
    21. James P. Smith, 1999. "Healthy Bodies and Thick Wallets: The Dual Relation between Health and Economic Status," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 13(2), pages 145-166, Spring.
    22. Hanushek, Eric A., 2013. "Economic growth in developing countries: The role of human capital," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 204-212.
    23. Adda, Jerome & Chandola, Tarani & Marmot, Michael, 2003. "Socio-economic status and health: causality and pathways," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 112(1), pages 57-63, January.
    24. Mincer, Jacob, 1970. "The Distribution of Labor Incomes: A Survey with Special Reference to the Human Capital Approach," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 8(1), pages 1-26, March.
    25. Asian Development Bank Institute, 2017. "Innovative Strategies in Higher Education for Accelerated Human Resource Development in South Asia: Nepal," Working Papers id:11816, eSocialSciences.
    26. World Bank Group, 2016. "Poverty and Shared Prosperity 2016," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 25078.
    27. Andrea Bassanini & Stefano Scarpetta & Philip Hemmings, 2001. "Economic Growth: The Role of Policies and Institutions: Panel Data. Evidence from OECD Countries," OECD Economics Department Working Papers 283, OECD Publishing.
    28. Era Dabla-Norris & Kalpana Kochhar & Nujin Suphaphiphat & Franto Ricka & Evridiki Tsounta, 2015. "Causes and Consequences of Income Inequality; A Global Perspective," IMF Staff Discussion Notes 15/13, International Monetary Fund.
    29. Asian Development Bank Institute, 2017. "Innovative Strategies in Higher Education for Accelerated Human Resource Development in South Asia: Sri Lanka," Working Papers id:11791, eSocialSciences.
    30. Jacob Mincer, 1958. "Investment in Human Capital and Personal Income Distribution," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 66(4), pages 281-281.
    31. Ms. Era Dabla-Norris & Ms. Kalpana Kochhar & Mrs. Nujin Suphaphiphat & Mr. Franto Ricka & Ms. Evridiki Tsounta, 2015. "Causes and Consequences of Income Inequality: A Global Perspective," IMF Staff Discussion Notes 2015/013, International Monetary Fund.
    32. Sánchez, Alan & Singh, Abhijeet, 2018. "Accessing higher education in developing countries: Panel data analysis from India, Peru, and Vietnam," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 261-278.
    33. Richard K. Johanson & Arvil V. Adams, 2004. "Skills Development in Sub-Saharan Africa," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 15028.
    34. Hanson II, John R., 1996. "Human Capital and Direct Investment in Poor Countries," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 33(1), pages 86-106, January.
    35. Hiroaki Hayakawa, 2017. "Health-conscious consumer behavior," Eurasian Economic Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 7(1), pages 1-31, April.
    36. Michael Spence, 1973. "Job Market Signaling," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 87(3), pages 355-374.
    37. 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. Elena Sochirca & Pedro Cunha Neves, 2020. "Optimal policies, middle class development and human capital accumulation under elite rivalry," Eurasian Economic Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 10(4), pages 727-744, December.

    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. Amavilah, Voxi Heinrich, 2014. "Knowledge = Technology + Human Capital and the Lucas and Romer Production Functions," MPRA Paper 58847, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Ralph Hippe & Roger Fouquet, 2024. "The Human Capital Transition and the Role of Policy," Springer Books, in: Claude Diebolt & Michael Haupert (ed.), Handbook of Cliometrics, edition 3, pages 411-457, Springer.
    3. Jean Luc de Meulemeester & Claude Diebolt, 2007. "Education et croissance : quel lien, pour quelle politique ?," Working Papers 07-08, Association Française de Cliométrie (AFC).
    4. Sultana, Tanzila & Dey, Sima Rani & Tareque, Mohammad, 2022. "Exploring the linkage between human capital and economic growth: A look at 141 developing and developed countries," Economic Systems, Elsevier, vol. 46(3).
    5. Coronel Vicente J. & Díaz-Roldán Carmen, 2024. "Government Expenditure, Education, and Productivity in the European Union: Effects on Economic Growth," Economics - The Open-Access, Open-Assessment Journal, De Gruyter, vol. 18(1), pages 1-24.
    6. Amavilah, Voxi Heinrich, 2014. "Human Knowledge and a Commonsensical Measure of Human Capital: A Proposal," MPRA Paper 57670, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    7. 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.
    8. Jean-Luc Demeulemeester & Claude Diebolt, 2011. "Education and Growth: What Links for Which Policy?," Historical Social Research (Section 'Cliometrics'), Association Française de Cliométrie (AFC), vol. 36(4), pages 323-346.
    9. Husain, Muhammad Jami, 2010. "Contribution of health to economic development: A survey and overview," Economics - The Open-Access, Open-Assessment E-Journal (2007-2020), Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel), vol. 4, pages 1-52.
    10. Roseline Tapuwa Karambakuwa & Ronney Ncwadi & Andrew Phiri, 2020. "The human capital–economic growth nexus in SSA countries: what can strengthen the relationship?," International Journal of Social Economics, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 47(9), pages 1143-1159, July.
    11. Tinatin Akhvlediani & Andrzej Cieślik, 2020. "Human capital, technological progress and technology diffusion across Europe: education matters," Empirica, Springer;Austrian Institute for Economic Research;Austrian Economic Association, vol. 47(3), pages 475-493, August.
    12. Jean Luc De Meulemeester, 2007. "L'économie de l'éducation fait-elle des progrès? Une perspective d'histoire de la pensée économique," Brussels Economic Review, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles, vol. 50(1), pages 89-111.
    13. Oyinlola, Mutiu A. & Adedeji, Abdulfatai A. & Onitekun, Olumide, 2021. "Human capital, innovation, and inclusive growth in sub-Saharan African Region," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 609-625.
    14. E. Tsanana & X. Chapsa & C. Katrakilidis, 2016. "Is growth corrupted or bureaucratic? Panel evidence from the enlarged EU," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 48(33), pages 3131-3147, July.
    15. Imen Mohamed Sghaier, 2022. "Foreign Capital Inflows and Economic Growth in North African Countries: the Role of Human Capital," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 13(4), pages 2804-2821, December.
    16. Omar Essardi & Redouane Razzouk, 2017. "Human Capital and Economic Growth in Morocco: Evidence from Bayesian Model Averaging," International Business Research, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 10(12), pages 167-182, December.
    17. 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.
    18. Claude DIEBOLT & Charlotte LE CHAPELAIN, 2019. "Human Capital and Economic Growth," Working Papers of BETA 2019-02, Bureau d'Economie Théorique et Appliquée, UDS, Strasbourg.
    19. Marvellous Ngundu & Nicholas Ngepah, 2020. "Comparative Effects of Foreign Direct Investment from China and Other Sources on Africa’s Economic Growth," Margin: The Journal of Applied Economic Research, National Council of Applied Economic Research, vol. 14(4), pages 382-408, November.
    20. Shaukat, Badiea & Zhu, Qigui & Khan, M. Ijaz, 2019. "Real interest rate and economic growth: A statistical exploration for transitory economies," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 534(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Distributional inequity; Dualities in human capital; Dualities in health; Multiplier process; Strategic choices; Strategic complementarities;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration
    • O14 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Industrialization; Manufacturing and Service Industries; Choice of Technology
    • I24 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Inequality
    • I25 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Economic Development
    • I14 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Inequality

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:spr:eurase:v:9:y:2019:i:3:d:10.1007_s40822-018-0110-8. 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: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.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.