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Human Capital Investment and Innovation: What Are The Connections?

Author

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  • Stephen Nickell
  • D Nicolitsas

Abstract

Finegold and Soskice (1998) argue that Britain is trapped in a 'low-skills' equilibrium. In Redding (1996), this notion is formalised in a dynamic model which relies on strategic complementaries between firms' investments in R & D and workers' investments in human capital. In this paper, we investigate the firms' side of the story, notably whether their investments in fixed capital and R & D are influenced by the availability of human capital. The latter we capture by using information on the relative wages of the relevant occupational categories or on skilled labour shortages. Our results indicate that a permanent 10 percentage point increase in the number of companies in a firm's industry reporting skilled labour shortages will lead to a permanent 10 per cent reduction in its fixed capital investment and a temporary 4 per cent reduction in its R & D expenditure.

Suggested Citation

  • Stephen Nickell & D Nicolitsas, 1997. "Human Capital Investment and Innovation: What Are The Connections?," CEP Discussion Papers dp0370, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    • Handle: RePEc:cep:cepdps:dp0370
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    Cited by:

    1. Anneleen Vandeplas & Anna Thum-Thysen, 2019. "Skills Mismatch and Productivity in the EU," European Economy - Discussion Papers 100, Directorate General Economic and Financial Affairs (DG ECFIN), European Commission.
    2. Nik Dawson & Marian-Andrei Rizoiu & Benjamin Johnston & Mary-Anne Williams, 2020. "Predicting Skill Shortages in Labor Markets: A Machine Learning Approach," Papers 2004.01311, arXiv.org, revised Aug 2020.
    3. Jürgen Janger & Michael Böheim & Martin Falk & Rahel Falk & Werner Hölzl & Daniela Kletzan-Slamanig & Michael Peneder & Andreas Reinstaller & Fabian Unterlass, 2010. "Forschungs- und Innovationspolitik nach der Wirtschaftskrise," WIFO Monatsberichte (monthly reports), WIFO, vol. 83(8), pages 675-689, August.
    4. Jürgen Janger & Michael Böheim & Martin Falk & Rahel Falk & Werner Hölzl & Daniela Kletzan-Slamanig & Michael Peneder & Andreas Reinstaller & Fabian Unterlass, 2010. "Forschungs- und Innovationspolitik nach der Krise. WIFO-Positionspapier zur FTI-Strategie 2020," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 40225.
    5. Jürgen Janger & Michael Böheim & Martin Falk & Rahel Falk & Werner Hölzl & Daniela Kletzan-Slamanig & Michael Peneder & Andreas Reinstaller & Fabian Unterlass & Gunther Tichy, 2010. "Research and Innovation Policy after the Crisis," Austrian Economic Quarterly, WIFO, vol. 15(4), pages 321-335, December.
    6. Jessica Bennett & Seamus McGuinness, 2009. "Assessing the impact of skill shortages on the productivity performance of high-tech firms in Northern Ireland," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 41(6), pages 727-737.
    7. Seamus McGuinness & Konstantinos Pouliakas & Paul Redmond, 2018. "Skills Mismatch: Concepts, Measurement And Policy Approaches," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(4), pages 985-1015, September.
    8. Sandra M. Leitner, 2022. "A skill‐specific dynamic labour supply and labour demand framework: A scenario analysis for the Western Balkan countries to 2030," LABOUR, CEIS, vol. 36(4), pages 471-504, December.
    9. Jirjahn, Uwe & Kraft, Kornelius, 2006. "Do Spillovers Stimulate Incremental or Drastic Product Innovations? Hypotheses and Evidence from German Establishment Data," ZEW Discussion Papers 06-023, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    10. The Treasury, 2001. "Human Capital and the Inclusive Economy," Treasury Working Paper Series 01/16, New Zealand Treasury.
    11. L. Colombo & H. Dawid & M. Piva & M. Vivarelli, 2017. "Does easy start-up formation hamper incumbents’ R&D investment?," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 49(3), pages 513-531, October.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • O32 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Management of Technological Innovation and R&D

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