IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/pra/mprapa/18381.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Skill Formation, Capital Adjustment Cost and Wage Inequality

Author

Listed:
  • Yabuuchi, Shigemi
  • Chaudhuri, Sarbajit

Abstract

The paper employs a three-sector general equilibrium model for examining the consequences of an infrastructure development scheme to the education sector and an inflow of foreign capital on the skilled-unskilled wage inequality in a developing economy. The education sector faces a capital adjustment cost for which the effective unit cost of capital depends positively on the amount of capital employed. Although both infrastructure development scheme and inflows of foreign capital lead to higher skill formation, the policies produce incongruent effects on the wages of skilled and unskilled labour. Furthermore, the effects of the policies on the skilled-unskilled wage inequality depend crucially on the relative factor intensities of the low-skill and high-skill sectors. Finally, which of the two policies should the country adopt depends on the technological, institutional and trade related factors.

Suggested Citation

  • Yabuuchi, Shigemi & Chaudhuri, Sarbajit, 2009. "Skill Formation, Capital Adjustment Cost and Wage Inequality," MPRA Paper 18381, University Library of Munich, Germany.
  • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:18381
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/18381/1/MPRA_paper_18381.pdf
    File Function: original version
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Fan, C. Simon & Stark, Oded, 2007. "International migration and "educated unemployment"," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 83(1), pages 76-87, May.
    2. Stark, Oded & Helmenstein, Christian & Prskawetz, Alexia, 1998. "Human capital depletion, human capital formation, and migration: a blessing or a "curse"?," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 60(3), pages 363-367, September.
    3. Sugata Marjit & Hamid Beladi & Avik Chakrabarti, 2004. "Trade and Wage Inequality in Developing Countries," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 42(2), pages 295-303, April.
    4. Chaudhuri, Sarbajit & Yabuuchi, Shigemi, 2007. "Economic liberalization and wage inequality in the presence of labour market imperfection," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 16(4), pages 592-603.
    5. Jones, Ronald W. & Peter Neary, J., 1984. "The positive theory of international trade," Handbook of International Economics, in: R. W. Jones & P. B. Kenen (ed.), Handbook of International Economics, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 1, pages 1-62, Elsevier.
    6. Kar, Saibal & Beladi, Hamid, 2004. "Skill formation and international migration: welfare perspective of developing countries," Japan and the World Economy, Elsevier, vol. 16(1), pages 35-54, January.
    7. repec:zbw:espost:233466 is not listed on IDEAS
    8. Chau, Nancy H & Stark, Oded, 1999. "Migration under Asymmetric Information and Human Capital Formation," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 7(3), pages 455-483, August.
    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. Chaudhuri, Sarbajit & Ghosh, Arnab & Banerjee, Dibyendu, 2018. "Can public subsidy on education necessarily improve wage inequality?," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 165-177.
    2. Pengqing Zhang, 2019. "Skill formation, environmental pollution, and wage inequality," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 62(2), pages 405-424, April.
    3. Chaudhuri, Sarbajit, 2014. "Public Subsidy on Education, Welfare, and Wage Inequality in a Small Open Developed Economy: A Two-period Analysis," MPRA Paper 60330, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Priya Brata Dutta & Nirjhar Ghosh, 2021. "Wage Inequality and Unemployment in the Presence of Imported Intermediate Goods: A Theoretical Analysis," Foreign Trade Review, , vol. 56(4), pages 375-399, November.
    5. Pan, Lijun, 2014. "The impacts of education investment on skilled–unskilled wage inequality and economic development in developing countries," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 174-181.
    6. Acharyya, Rajat, 2010. "Successive Trade Liberalization and Wage Inequality," MPRA Paper 30158, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    7. Sudeshna Mitra & Kausik Gupta, 2017. "Fragmentation, Skill Formation And International Capital Mobility," The Singapore Economic Review (SER), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 65(02), pages 335-350, March.
    8. Sugata Marjit & Rashmi Ahuja & Abhilasha Pandey, 2021. "Education, Lack of Complementary Investment and Underemployment In an Open Economy," CESifo Working Paper Series 9278, CESifo.
    9. Chaudhuri, Sarbajit, 2010. "Economic recession, demand constraint and labour markets in a developing economy," MPRA Paper 27433, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    10. Gupta Manash Ranjan & Dutta Priya Brata, 2014. "Skilled-Unskilled Wage Inequality, Growth of Skilled Labour and Development Policies," Journal of Globalization and Development, De Gruyter, vol. 5(1), pages 103-128, June.
    11. Jonck, Petronella & Goujon, Anne & Testa, Maria Rita & Kandala, John, 2015. "Education and crime engagement in South Africa: A national and provincial perspective," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 141-151.
    12. Chaudhuri, Sarbajit, 2014. "Does Public Assistance for Skills Formation Necessarily Improve Wage Inequality in the Future?," MPRA Paper 57788, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    13. Li, Xiaochun & Zhou, Yu, 2013. "An economic analysis of remittance of unskilled migration on skilled–unskilled wage inequality in labor host region," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 33(C), pages 428-432.
    14. Manash Ranjan Gupta & Priya Brata Dutta, 2018. "Skilled-unskilled wage inequality and structural transformation in a dual economy," Indian Economic Review, Springer, vol. 53(1), pages 311-332, December.
    15. Gupta, Manash Ranjan & Dutta, Priya Brata, 2010. "Skilled-unskilled wage inequality, nontraded good and endogenous supply of skilled labour: A theoretical analysis," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 27(5), pages 923-934, September.
    16. Gupta, Manash Ranjan & Dutta, Priya Brata, 2011. "Skilled-unskilled wage inequality and unemployment: A general equilibrium analysis," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 28(4), pages 1977-1983, July.

    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. Chaudhuri, Sarbajit & Ghosh, Arnab & Banerjee, Dibyendu, 2018. "Can public subsidy on education necessarily improve wage inequality?," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 165-177.
    2. Chaudhuri, Sarbajit & Bandopadhyay, Titas Kumar, 2012. "Endogenous skill formation, foreign capital and education subsidy in a dual economy," MPRA Paper 41631, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Gupta, Manash Ranjan & Dutta, Priya Brata, 2012. "Skilled–unskilled wage inequality, product variety, public input and increasing returns: A static general equilibrium analysis," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 29(2), pages 502-513.
    4. Gupta, Manash Ranjan & Dutta, Priya Brata, 2010. "Skilled-unskilled wage inequality: A general equilibrium analysis," Research in Economics, Elsevier, vol. 64(4), pages 247-263, December.
    5. Gupta Manash Ranjan & Dutta Priya Brata, 2014. "Skilled-Unskilled Wage Inequality, Growth of Skilled Labour and Development Policies," Journal of Globalization and Development, De Gruyter, vol. 5(1), pages 103-128, June.
    6. Priya Brata Dutta & Nirjhar Ghosh, 2021. "Wage Inequality and Unemployment in the Presence of Imported Intermediate Goods: A Theoretical Analysis," Foreign Trade Review, , vol. 56(4), pages 375-399, November.
    7. Chaudhuri, Sarbajit, 2008. "Wage inequality in a dual economy and international mobility of factors: Do factor intensities always matter?," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 25(6), pages 1155-1164, November.
    8. Dwibedi, Jayanta Kumar & Chaudhuri, Sarbajit, 2010. "Foreign capital, return to education and child labour," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 19(2), pages 278-286, April.
    9. Priya Brata Dutta, 2014. "Skilled-unskilled wage inequality, product variety and unemployment: A static general equilibrium analysis," The Journal of International Trade & Economic Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(1), pages 31-55, February.
    10. Pan, Lijun, 2014. "The impacts of education investment on skilled–unskilled wage inequality and economic development in developing countries," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 174-181.
    11. Yabuuchi, Shigemi & Chaudhuri, Sarbajit, 2007. "International migration of labour and skilled-unskilled wage inequality in a developing economy," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 24(1), pages 128-137, January.
    12. Gupta, Manash Ranjan & Dutta, Priya Brata, 2010. "Skilled-unskilled wage inequality, nontraded good and endogenous supply of skilled labour: A theoretical analysis," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 27(5), pages 923-934, September.
    13. Dutta, Meghna & Kar, Saibal & Marjit, Sugata, 2013. "Product variety, finite changes and wage inequality," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 610-613.
    14. Chaudhuri, Sarbajit & Yabuuchi, Shigemi, 2007. "Foreign Capital and Skilled-unskilled Wage Inequality in a Developing Economy with Non-traded Goods," MPRA Paper 2645, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    15. Gupta, Manash Ranjan & Dutta, Priya Brata, 2011. "Skilled-unskilled wage inequality and unemployment: A general equilibrium analysis," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 28(4), pages 1977-1983, July.
    16. Manash Ranjan Gupta & Priya Brata Dutta, 2018. "Skilled-unskilled wage inequality and structural transformation in a dual economy," Indian Economic Review, Springer, vol. 53(1), pages 311-332, December.
    17. Chaudhuri, Sarbajit, 2008. "International Factor Mobility, Skills Formation and Welfare," MPRA Paper 9302, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    18. Saibal Kar & Basudeb Guha-Khasnobis, 2006. "Foreign Capital, Skill Formation, and Migration of Skilled Workers," Journal of Economic Policy Reform, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 9(2), pages 107-123.
    19. Biswajit Mandal & Sugata Marjit & Noritsugu Nakanishi, 2018. "Outsourcing, factor prices and skill formation in countries with non-overlapping time zones," Eurasian Economic Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 8(2), pages 289-304, August.
    20. Pi, Jiancai & Zhang, Pengqing, 2018. "Skill-biased technological change and wage inequality in developing countries," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 347-362.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Skill formation; skilled labour; unskilled labour; wage inequality; foreign capital; capital adjustment cost;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F16 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Trade and Labor Market Interactions
    • F13 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Trade Policy; International Trade Organizations
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    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:pra:mprapa:18381. 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: Joachim Winter (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/vfmunde.html .

    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.