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The Comparative Advantage of Educated Workers in Implementing New Technology: Some Empirical Evidence

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  • Ann P. Bartel
  • Frank R. Lichtenberg

Abstract

In this paper we estimate variants of a labor demand equation derived from a (restricted variable) cost function in which "experience"on a technology (proxied by the mean age of the capital stock) enters "non-neutrally." Our specification of the underlying cost function isbased on the hypothesis that highly educated workers have a comparative advantage with respect to the adjustment to and implementation of new technologies. Our empirical results are consistent with the implication of this hypothesis, that the relative demand for educated workers declines as the capital stock (and presumably the technology embodied therein) ages. According to our estimates, the education-distribution of employment depends more strongly on the age of equipment than on the age of plant, and the effect of changes in equipment age on labor demand is magnified in R&D-intensive industries.

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  • Ann P. Bartel & Frank R. Lichtenberg, 1985. "The Comparative Advantage of Educated Workers in Implementing New Technology: Some Empirical Evidence," NBER Working Papers 1718, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:1718
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Jon Wisman, 2001. "Creative destruction and labor's options," Forum for Social Economics, Springer;The Association for Social Economics, vol. 30(2), pages 51-76, March.
    2. Dario Guarascio & Mario Pianta & Matteo Lucchese & Francesco Bogliacino, 2015. "Business cycles, technology and exports," Economia Politica: Journal of Analytical and Institutional Economics, Springer;Fondazione Edison, vol. 32(2), pages 167-200, August.
    3. Bashir, Sadaf & Sadowski, B. M., 2014. "General purpose technologies: A survey, a critique and future research directions," 25th European Regional ITS Conference, Brussels 2014 101443, International Telecommunications Society (ITS).
    4. Matthieu Crozet & Gianluca Orefice, 2017. "Trade and Labor Market: What Do We Know?," CEPII Policy Brief 2017-15, CEPII research center.
    5. Andreea Mirica, 2014. "Higher Education – A Solution To Unemployment? Case Study: Romania," Romanian Statistical Review, Romanian Statistical Review, vol. 62(3), pages 63-75, September.

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