Does social capital reinforce technological inputs in the creation of knowledge? Evidence from the Spanish regions

In this paper we seek to verify the hypothesis that trust and cooperation between individuals, and between them and public institutions, can encourage technological innovation and the adoption of knowledge. Additionally, we test the extent to which the interaction of social capital with human capital and R&D expenditures improve their effect on a region’s ability to innovate. Our empirical evidence is taken from the Spanish regions and employs a knowledge production function and longitudinal count data models. Our results suggest that social capital correlates positively with innovation. Further, our analysis reveals a powerful interaction between human and social capital in the production of knowledge, whilst the complementarity with R&D efforts would seem less clear

Human capital spillovers, productivity and regional convergence in Spain (WP)

This paper analyses the differential impact of human capital, in terms of different levels of schooling, on regional productivity and convergence. The potential existence of geographical spillovers of human capital is also considered by applying spatial panel data techniques. The empirical analysis of Spanish provinces between 1980 and 2007 confirms the positive impact of human capital on regional productivity and convergence, but reveals no evidence of any positive geographical spillovers of human capital. In fact, in some specifications the spatial lag presented by tertiary studies has a negative effect on the variables under consideration

Regional economic growth and human capital: the role of overeducation (WP)

The paper analyses the link between human capital and regional economic growth in the European Union. Using different indicators of human capital calculated from census microdata, we conclude that the recent economic performance of European regions is associated to an increase in overeducation. In fact, measures of educational mismatch seem to have a stronger connection to regional economic performance than other traditional measures of human capital stocks

Job losses, outsourcing and relocation: empirical evidence using microdata

Using microdata, we analyse the determinants of firm relocation and conventional outsourcing decisions as a way to reduce employment. The results for a sample of 32 countries show the relevance of factors not considered previously in the literature. Firms that are below average in quality or innovation have a higher propensity to externalise part of their production through outsourcing, while lower relative profitability and longer time to market for new products each imply a higher probability of relocation

Una nota sobre el contraste de relaciones de cointegración entre índices de precios

El contraste de relaciones de equilibrio usando técnicas de cointegración, entre variables económicas en general y entre índices de precios en particular, ha recibido elevada atención en los últimos años. De entre estas últimas relaciones destacar el contraste de la hipótesis de Paridad de Poder de Compra (PPP). Johnson (1991) desarrolla un contraste para tratar de explicar los rechazos que de dicha hipótesis se producían. El supuesto de qué parte es qué, aun cuando la hipótesis PPP se cumpla para los bienes individuales, cambios relativos de precios en los índices unido a diferentes ponderaciones, puede provocar dichos rechazos. En el artículo que se presenta se realiza una extensión y crítica del trabajo citado. Respecto a las extensiones, se amplía el análisis a índices de Laspeyres, a la desagregación del índice en subíndices de grupos de gasto y al análisis de convergencia en tasas de inflación. Respecto a las críticas, se muestran las diferentes interpretaciones del contraste propuesto, las limitaciones en cuanto a su aplicación y, en un intento de solucionar éstas, las pobres conclusiones que pueden extraerse de analizar los cambios relativos entre índices de grupo de gasto. De los desarrollos propuestos en la nota se desprende que el contraste de relaciones de equilibrio entre índices de precios ponderados presenta la dificultad de que un rechazo de dicha relación no puede interpretarse directamente como un rechazo de la hipótesis económica subyacente (PPP, convergencia en tasas de inflación, etc.)

Changes in Wage Structure in Mexico Going Beyond the Mean : An Analysis of Differences in Distribution, 1987-2008

This paper conducts an empirical analysis of the relationship between wage inequality, employment structure, and returns to education in urban areas of Mexico during the past two decades (1987-2008). Applying Melly’s (2005) quantile regression based decomposition, we find that changes in wage inequality have been driven mainly by variations in educational wage premia. Additionally, we find that changes in employment structure, including occupation and firm size, have played a vital role

Tourism and Exports as a means of Growth

This study expands existing research by considering both exports and tourism as potential influencing factors for economic growth. While trade of goods has been proven as a means of growth for countries, inbound tourism as non-traditional exports, has been scarcely examined in the literature. Using data for Italy and Spain over the period 1954-2000 and 1964-2000 respectively, both exports of goods and tourism exports are included in the same model. Standard cointegration and Granger causality techniques are applied. The main results reveal the significance of both exports and tourism towards longterm growth with some peculiarities for each country

Smoothing the Catalan tourism micro-data time series

In this paper we propose a method for smoothing the Catalan tourism time series between 1997 and 2000. These time series, built upon a micro database drawn from a survey conducted by the Statistical Institute of Catalonia, are somewhat volatile due, it would seem, to the incomplete nature of the information. The application of a smoothing procedure based on the combination of classical techniques and weighted moving averages allows us to overcome the problems caused by this lack of information and to obtain time series that evolve smoothly over time

Changes in wage structure in Mexico going beyond the mean : an analysis of differences in distribution, 1987-2008

This paper conducts an empirical analysis of the relationship between wage inequality, employment structure, and returns to education in urban areas of Mexico during the past two decades (1987-2008). Applying Melly's (2005) quantile regression based decomposition, we find that changes in wage inequality have been driven mainly by variations in educational wage premia. Additionally, we find that changes in employment structure, including occupation and firm size, have played a vital role. This evidence seems to suggest that the changes in wage inequality in urban Mexico cannot be interpreted in terms of a skill-biased change, but rather they are the result of an increasing demand for skills during that period