Human Capital Distribution and the Transition from Stagnation to Growth

CSEF Working Papers from Centre for Studies in Economics and Finance (CSEF), University of Naples, Italy

Abstract: This research argues that differences in the distribution of human capital across countries and their impact on the advancement and the adoption of technology contributed to the differential timing of the transition from the Malthusian stagnation to modern growth and the persistent differences in income per capita across the globe. Polarization in the distribution of human capital within an economy implied a trade-off between innovation and adoption of technologies that determined the transition from stagnation to growth. Despite the contribution of the upper tail of the human capital distribution to technological innovation, the absence of wide group of educated individuals among the working population delayed technology adoption and the transition from stagnation to growth.

Keywords: Economic Growth; Human Capital Distribution; Demographic Transition; Long-run Development. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I24 J13 J24 O30 O40 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021-01-26
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-gro, nep-ino and nep-tid
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sef:csefwp:599

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