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Economic Freedom, Human Rights, and the Returns to Human Capital: An Evaluation of the Schultz Hypothesis

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  • King, Elizabeth M.
  • Montenegro, Claudio E.
  • Orazem, Peter
Abstract
T.W. Schultz (1975) proposed that returns to human capital were highest in economic environments where technology, price or production shocks were common and managerial skills to adapt resource allocations to those shocks were most in need. We hypothesize that variation in returns to human capital across developing countries can be explained in part by government institutions that blunt the magnitude of those shocks or that limit individual abilities to respond to those shocks. Using estimated returns to schooling and experience from 122 household surveys from 86 developing countries, we demonstrate a strong positive correlation between economic freedom and returns to human capital. The positive effect is observed at all quantiles of the wage distribution. Economic freedom benefits the most skilled who get higher returns to schooling; but it also benefits the least skilled who get higher returns from experience.

Suggested Citation

  • King, Elizabeth M. & Montenegro, Claudio E. & Orazem, Peter, 2010. "Economic Freedom, Human Rights, and the Returns to Human Capital: An Evaluation of the Schultz Hypothesis," Staff General Research Papers Archive 31641, Iowa State University, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:isu:genres:31641
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    1. Economic Freedom and Returns to Human Capital
      by UDADISI in UDADISI on 2012-09-11 17:52:00

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    2. Olalekan Charles Okunlola & Anthony E. Akinlo, 2021. "Does economic freedom enhance quality of life in Africa?," International Review of Economics, Springer;Happiness Economics and Interpersonal Relations (HEIRS), vol. 68(3), pages 357-387, September.
    3. Montenegro, Claudio E. & Patrinos, Harry Anthony, 2014. "Comparable estimates of returns to schooling around the world," Policy Research Working Paper Series 7020, The World Bank.
    4. Mohammad Mainul Hoque & Elizabeth M. King & Claudio E. Montenegro & Peter F. Orazem, 2019. "Revisiting the relationship between longevity and lifetime education: global evidence from 919 surveys," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 32(2), pages 551-589, April.
    5. Zafiris Tzannatos & Ishac Diwan & Joanna Abdel Ahad, 2016. "Rates of Return to Education in Twenty Two Arab Countries: an Update and Comparison Between MENA and the Rest of the World," Working Papers 1007, Economic Research Forum, revised May 2016.
    6. Elizabeth M. King & Claudio E. Montenegro & Peter F. Orazem, 2012. "Economic Freedom, Human Rights, and the Returns to Human Capital: An Evaluation of the Schultz Hypothesis," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 61(1), pages 39-72.
    7. Johan Graafland, 2020. "When Does Economic Freedom Promote Well Being? On the Moderating Role of Long-Term Orientation," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 149(1), pages 127-153, May.
    8. Heather Congdon Fors, 2017. "Globalization and school enrollment in a panel of countries," The Journal of International Trade & Economic Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(3), pages 295-315, April.
    9. Susan Godlonton, 2020. "Employment Exposure: Employment and Wage Effects in Urban Malawi," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 68(2), pages 471-506.
    10. Marek Loužek, 2022. "Přínos Theodora Schultze k rozvoji ekonomické teorie [Theodore Schultz's Contributions to Economic Theory]," Politická ekonomie, Prague University of Economics and Business, vol. 2022(6), pages 730-748.
    11. Lant Pritchett, Justin Sandefur, 2013. "Context Matters for Size: Why External Validity Claims and Development Practice Don't Mix-Working Paper 336," Working Papers 336, Center for Global Development.
    12. Laporšek, Suzana & Orazem, Peter F. & Vodopivec, Milan & Vodopivec, Matija, 2021. "Winners and losers after 25 years of transition: Decreasing wage inequality in Slovenia," Economic Systems, Elsevier, vol. 45(2).
    13. Johan Graafland & Harmen Verbruggen, 2022. "Free-Market, Perfect Market and Welfare State Perspectives on “Good” Markets: an Empirical Test," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 17(2), pages 1113-1136, April.
    14. Imed Limam & Abdelwahab Ben Hafaiedh, 2017. "Education, Earnings and Returns to Schooling in Tunisia," Working Papers 1162, Economic Research Forum, revised 12 Jun 2017.
    15. Horst Feldmann, 2021. "Economic Freedom and People’s Regard for Education," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 154(1), pages 235-256, February.
    16. Elena D’Agostino & Marco Alberto De Benedetto & Giuseppe Sobbrio, 2023. "Does the economic freedom hinder the underground economy? Evidence from a cross-country analysis," Economia Politica: Journal of Analytical and Institutional Economics, Springer;Fondazione Edison, vol. 40(1), pages 319-341, April.
    17. Angrist, Noam & Patrinos, Harry Anthony & Schlotter, Martin, 2013. "An expansion of a global data set on educational quality : a focus on achievement in developing countries," Policy Research Working Paper Series 6536, The World Bank.
    18. Olalekan C. Okunlola & Olumide A. Ayetigbo, 2022. "Economic Freedom and Human Development in ECOWAS: Does Political-Institutional Strength Play a Role?," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 13(3), pages 1751-1785, September.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Returns to education; Returns to experience; Economic freedom; inequality; quantiles;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration
    • P10 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Capitalist Economies - - - General

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