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Human Capital and French Macroeconomic Growth in the Long Run

Author

Listed:
  • Claude Diebolt

    (BETA/CNRS, Université Louis Pasteur de Strasbourg, France)

  • Jamel Trabelsi

    (BETA/CNRS, Université Louis Pasteur de Strasbourg, France)

Abstract

Much of the economic growth literature has focused on the contribution of human capital to national development. Two assumptions have remained largely unexamined: (I) economic stability results from economic growth, and (II) investments in human capital result in economic growth (ceteris paribus). This article questions this education-stability link by analyzing regime shifts in the stochastic process of real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and education expenditures in France over the period 1820-1990. Results indicate that human capital investment prior to 1945 was a response to economic growth. It is only since 1945 that human capital investments appear to drive economic growth. The results raise the question of whether human capital investment might not be as much a consequence as it is a cause of economic stability in the course of time.

Suggested Citation

  • Claude Diebolt & Jamel Trabelsi, 2008. "Human Capital and French Macroeconomic Growth in the Long Run," Working Papers 08-11, Association Française de Cliométrie (AFC).
    • Handle: RePEc:afc:wpaper:08-11
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Dorocki Sławomir & Borowiec Monika, 2012. "The process of transformation of academic centres as a factor upgrading the quality of human capital in the regions of France," Bulletin of Geography. Socio-economic Series, Sciendo, vol. 18(18), pages 15-27, November.
    2. Johnson, Noel, 2015. "Taxes, National Identity, and Nation Building: Evidence from France," MPRA Paper 63598, University Library of Munich, Germany.

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