[go: up one dir, main page]
IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v13y2021i11p6437-d569497.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

How Does Education Quality Affect Economic Growth?

Author

Listed:
  • Łukasz Goczek

    (Faculty of Economic Sciences, University of Warsaw, 00-241 Warsaw, Poland)

  • Ewa Witkowska

    (Institute of Psychology, The Maria Grzegorzewska University, 02-353 Warsaw, Poland)

  • Bartosz Witkowski

    (Institute of Econometrics, SGH Warsaw School of Economics, 02-554 Warsaw, Poland)

Abstract
In a seminal article, Hanushek and Woessmann explained economic growth as a function of the quality of education. While they did not find evidence of the importance of years of schooling, they argued for the relevance of cognitive skills and a basic literacy ratio for economic growth. However, this result was based on cross-country data limited to 23 observations. In this study, we extended and modified their approach based on the results of PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) tests to explain the GDP changes over the last 50 years. Using panel data, we considered the possible lag that characterizes this relationship, used statistical methods to address the risk of reversed causality of economic performance affecting the quality of education, and extended the model by the inclusion of other potential growth factors. The results, which also included several robustness checks, confirmed the relevance of earlier education quality as a significant growth factor. Our results suggest the significance of educational skills for GDP growth, which might be treated as a confirmation of the importance of quality primary and secondary education for economic development. We showed that our results are robust to changes in the order of lags and confirmed the validity of the conclusion with the use of specification-robust Bayesian model averaging.

Suggested Citation

  • Łukasz Goczek & Ewa Witkowska & Bartosz Witkowski, 2021. "How Does Education Quality Affect Economic Growth?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-22, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:11:p:6437-:d:569497
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/11/6437/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/11/6437/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Awaworyi Churchill Sefa & Ugur Mehmet & Yew Siew Ling, 2017. "Government education expenditures and economic growth: a meta-analysis," The B.E. Journal of Macroeconomics, De Gruyter, vol. 17(2), pages 1-17, June.
    2. Han, Jong-Suk & Lee, Jong-Wha, 2020. "Demographic change, human capital, and economic growth in Korea," Japan and the World Economy, Elsevier, vol. 53(C).
    3. Eric Hanushek & Ludger Woessmann, 2012. "Do better schools lead to more growth? Cognitive skills, economic outcomes, and causation," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 17(4), pages 267-321, December.
    4. Hanushek, Eric A. & Woessmann, Ludger, 2011. "The Economics of International Differences in Educational Achievement," Handbook of the Economics of Education, in: Erik Hanushek & Stephen Machin & Ludger Woessmann (ed.), Handbook of the Economics of Education, edition 1, volume 3, chapter 2, pages 89-200, Elsevier.
    5. Edward Glaeser & Giacomo Ponzetto & Andrei Shleifer, 2007. "Why does democracy need education?," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 12(2), pages 77-99, June.
    6. Lee, Jong-Wha & Lee, Hanol, 2016. "Human capital in the long run," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 147-169.
    7. Hanushek, Eric A. & Schwerdt, Guido & Wiederhold, Simon & Woessmann, Ludger, 2015. "Returns to skills around the world: Evidence from PIAAC," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 103-130.
    8. Hanushek, Eric A. & Woessmann, Ludger, 2015. "The Knowledge Capital of Nations: Education and the Economics of Growth," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262029170, April.
    9. Robert J. Barro, 1991. "Economic Growth in a Cross Section of Countries," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 106(2), pages 407-443.
    10. Todd Schoellman, 2012. "Education Quality and Development Accounting," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 79(1), pages 388-417.
    11. Barry P. Bosworth & Susan M. Collins, 2003. "The Empirics of Growth: An Update," Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Economic Studies Program, The Brookings Institution, vol. 34(2), pages 113-206.
    12. Lijia Guo & Jiashun Huang & You Zhang, 2019. "Education Development in China: Education Return, Quality, and Equity," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(13), pages 1-20, July.
    13. Blundell, Richard & Bond, Stephen, 1998. "Initial conditions and moment restrictions in dynamic panel data models," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 87(1), pages 115-143, August.
    14. Haiying Xu & Wei-Ling Hsu & Teen-Hang Meen & Ju Hua Zhu, 2020. "Can Higher Education, Economic Growth and Innovation Ability Improve Each Other?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-18, March.
    15. N. Gregory Mankiw & David Romer & David N. Weil, 1992. "A Contribution to the Empirics of Economic Growth," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 107(2), pages 407-437.
    16. Xavier Sala-I-Martin & Gernot Doppelhofer & Ronald I. Miller, 2004. "Determinants of Long-Term Growth: A Bayesian Averaging of Classical Estimates (BACE) Approach," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 94(4), pages 813-835, September.
    17. Shiu-Sheng Chen & Ming-Ching Luoh, 2010. "Are Mathematics and Science Test Scores Good Indicators of Labor-Force Quality?," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 96(1), pages 133-143, March.
    18. Beck, Nathaniel & Katz, Jonathan N., 1995. "What To Do (and Not to Do) with Time-Series Cross-Section Data," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 89(3), pages 634-647, September.
    19. Mariusz Próchniak & Bartosz Witkowski, 2012. "Bayesian Model Averaging in Modelling GDP Convergence with the Use of Panel Data," Collegium of Economic Analysis Annals, Warsaw School of Economics, Collegium of Economic Analysis, issue 26, pages 45-60.
    20. Eric A. Hanushek & Ludger Woessmann, 2008. "The Role of Cognitive Skills in Economic Development," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 46(3), pages 607-668, September.
    21. Jacob Mincer, 1958. "Investment in Human Capital and Personal Income Distribution," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 66(4), pages 281-281.
    22. Benos, Nikos & Zotou, Stefania, 2014. "Education and Economic Growth: A Meta-Regression Analysis," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 669-689.
    23. Piergiuseppe Fortunato & Ugo Panizza, 2015. "Democracy, education and the quality of government," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 20(4), pages 333-363, December.
    24. Peter J. Klenow & Andrés Rodríguez-Clare, 1997. "The Neoclassical Revival in Growth Economics: Has It Gone Too Far?," NBER Chapters, in: NBER Macroeconomics Annual 1997, Volume 12, pages 73-114, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    25. Philip Oreopoulos & Kjell G. Salvanes, 2011. "Priceless: The Nonpecuniary Benefits of Schooling," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 25(1), pages 159-184, Winter.
    26. David Roodman, 2009. "A Note on the Theme of Too Many Instruments," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 71(1), pages 135-158, February.
    27. Banerjee, Rajabrata & Roy, Saikat Sinha, 2014. "Human capital, technological progress and trade: What explains India's long run growth?," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 15-31.
    28. Próchniak, Mariusz & Witkowski, Bartosz, 2013. "Time stability of the beta convergence among EU countries: Bayesian model averaging perspective," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 322-333.
    29. Manuel Arellano & Stephen Bond, 1991. "Some Tests of Specification for Panel Data: Monte Carlo Evidence and an Application to Employment Equations," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 58(2), pages 277-297.
    30. Jerik Hanushek & Dennis Kimko, 2006. "Schooling, Labor-force Quality, and the Growth of Nations," Voprosy obrazovaniya / Educational Studies Moscow, National Research University Higher School of Economics, issue 1, pages 154-193.
    31. French, Joseph J. & French, Atchaporn & Li, Wei-Xuan, 2015. "The relationship among cultural dimensions, education expenditure, and PISA performance," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 25-34.
    32. Barro, Robert J. & Lee, Jong-Wha, 2015. "Education Matters: Global Schooling Gains from the 19th to the 21st Century," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199379231.
    33. Lucas, Robert Jr., 1988. "On the mechanics of economic development," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 22(1), pages 3-42, July.
    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. Gamze Sart & Yilmaz Bayar & Funda Hatice Sezgin & Marina Danilina, 2022. "Impact of Educational Attainment on Renewable Energy Use: Evidence from Emerging Market Economies," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-15, April.
    2. Goczek Łukasz & Witkowski Bartosz & Witkowska Ewa, 2022. "Does an increase in education quality cause developing countries to catch up?," International Journal of Management and Economics, Warsaw School of Economics, Collegium of World Economy, vol. 58(4), pages 393-408, December.
    3. Raluca Corina DAWED & Lavinia Stefania TOTAN, 2023. "Quality Education, Initiative And Entrepreneurial Empowerment For Sustainable Economic Development," Proceedings of the INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE, Faculty of Management, Academy of Economic Studies, Bucharest, Romania, vol. 17(1), pages 802-811, November.
    4. Besime Fekri Ziberi & Donat Rexha & Xhemazie Ibraimi & Besnik Avdiaj, 2022. "Empirical Analysis of the Impact of Education on Economic Growth," Economies, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-10, April.
    5. Zhang, Dongyang & Mohsin, Muhammad & Taghizadeh-Hesary, Farhad, 2022. "Does green finance counteract the climate change mitigation: Asymmetric effect of renewable energy investment and R&D," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    6. Francová, Olga & Korhonen, Kari & Kovačević, Dušan, 2023. "Quality of life: A way to buttress crisis program evaluations?," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    7. Xiaoxiao Wu & Hongfu Chen & Ying Qian & Quanyong Lei, 2024. "RETRACTED ARTICLE: Fostering social innovation in the energy transition: entrepreneurial solutions for a sustainable economy," Economic Change and Restructuring, Springer, vol. 57(2), pages 1-19, April.
    8. Wei, Xiaobo & Mohsin, Muhammad & Zhang, Qiongxin, 2022. "Role of foreign direct investment and economic growth in renewable energy development," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 192(C), pages 828-837.
    9. Yu Zhang & Jianguo Liu, 2022. "Does Education Affect Economic Growth? A Re-Examination of Empirical Data from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(23), pages 1-23, December.

    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. Glawe, Linda & Wagner, Helmut, 2022. "Is schooling the same as learning? – The impact of the learning-adjusted years of schooling on growth in a dynamic panel data framework," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    2. Altinok, Nadir & Aydemir, Abdurrahman, 2017. "Does one size fit all? The impact of cognitive skills on economic growth," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 176-190.
    3. Hüseyin Taştan & Selin Erdoğan, 2018. "Cognitive skills and economic performance: evidence from the recent international student assessment tests," Eurasian Economic Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 8(3), pages 417-449, December.
    4. Eric A. Hanushek & Jens Ruhose & Ludger Woessmann, 2015. "Human Capital Quality and Aggregate Income Differences: Development Accounting for U.S. States," CESifo Working Paper Series 5411, CESifo.
    5. Eric A. Hanushek & Jens Ruhose & Ludger Woessmann, 2017. "Knowledge Capital and Aggregate Income Differences: Development Accounting for US States," American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 9(4), pages 184-224, October.
    6. Ulaşan, Bülent, 2012. "Cross-country growth empirics and model uncertainty: An overview," Economics - The Open-Access, Open-Assessment E-Journal (2007-2020), Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel), vol. 6, pages 1-69.
    7. Tinatin Akhvlediani & Andrzej Cieślik, 2020. "Human capital, technological progress and technology diffusion across Europe: education matters," Empirica, Springer;Austrian Institute for Economic Research;Austrian Economic Association, vol. 47(3), pages 475-493, August.
    8. Ogundari, Kolawole & Awokuse, Titus, 2018. "Human capital contribution to economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa: Does health status matter more than education?," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 131-140.
    9. Artige, Lionel & Cavenaile, Laurent, 2023. "Public education expenditures, growth and income inequality," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 209(C).
    10. Michael S. Delgado & Daniel J. Henderson & Christopher F. Parmeter, 2014. "Does Education Matter for Economic Growth?," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 76(3), pages 334-359, June.
    11. Dahlum, Sirianne & Knutsen, Carl Henrik, 2017. "Do Democracies Provide Better Education? Revisiting the Democracy–Human Capital Link," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 186-199.
    12. Gust, Sarah & Hanushek, Eric A. & Woessmann, Ludger, 2024. "Global universal basic skills: Current deficits and implications for world development," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 166(C).
    13. Eftimoski, Dimitar, 2022. "On the inconclusive effect of human capital on growth: A new look at extended specifications," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 708-727.
    14. Campbell, Susanna G. & Üngör, Murat, 2020. "Revisiting human capital and aggregate income differences," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 43-64.
    15. Eric A. Hanushek & Jens Ruhose & Ludger Woessmann, 2015. "Economic Gains for U.S. States from Educational Reform," NBER Working Papers 21770, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    16. Goczek Łukasz & Witkowski Bartosz & Witkowska Ewa, 2022. "Does an increase in education quality cause developing countries to catch up?," International Journal of Management and Economics, Warsaw School of Economics, Collegium of World Economy, vol. 58(4), pages 393-408, December.
    17. Hanol Lee & Jong-Wha Lee, 2024. "Educational quality and disparities in income and growth across countries," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 29(3), pages 361-389, September.
    18. Daniel Ştefan Armeanu & Georgeta Vintilă & Ştefan Cristian Gherghina, 2017. "Empirical Study towards the Drivers of Sustainable Economic Growth in EU-28 Countries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(1), pages 1-22, December.
    19. Bloom, David E. & Canning, David & Kotschy, Rainer & Prettner, Klaus & Schünemann, Johannes, 2024. "Health and economic growth: Reconciling the micro and macro evidence," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 178(C).
    20. Marcelo Soto, 2006. "The Causal Effect of Education on Aggregate Income," Working Papers 0605, International Economics Institute, University of Valencia.

    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:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:11:p:6437-:d:569497. 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: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    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.