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.social capital, human capital, innovation, complementarities.

Regional Economic Growth And Human Capital: The Role Of Overeducation

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.Regional economic growth, human capital, educational mismatch, overeducation

Human capital spillovers, productivity and regional convergence in Spain

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 convergence, productivity, human capital composition, geographical spillovers.

The role of the tourism sector in economic development - Lessons from the Spanish experience

Tourism is one of the most important sectors in the world economy, and it is now considered as an efficient tool for promoting economic growth. In this respect, the experience of the Spanish economy is well known, and might be used to illustrate the benefits of the development of the tourism sector in lagging economies. Actually, there is wide consensus in the idea of its role in enhancing the Spanish industrialisation process. The foreign currency receipts from tourism contributed to finance the expansion of manufacturing by financing imports of capital goods. Moreover, the expansion of tourism in the last three decades has been unstoppable and beneficial for the economy in different aspects. The main purpose of this paper is to assess the real role of the tourism sector in the Spanish economy during the last three decades, paying especial attention to its contribution to the industrialisation of some of the less developed regions. Policy issues that are derived from the results for the Spanish experience should be useful for other developing countries in similar situations, and reveal how the tourist activity in those economies can benefit the overall economy, helping growth in other sectors.

Regional Economic Growth and Human Capital: The Role of Overeducation

The paper analyses the link between human capital and regional economic growth in the European Union. Using various indicators of human capital calculated from census microdata, we conclude that the recent economic performance of European regions is associated with an increase in overeducation. In fact, measures of educational mismatch seem to be more strongly connected to regional economic performance than do other traditional measures of human capital stock.regional economic growth, human capital, educational mismatch, overeducation

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.Firm relocation, outsourcing, subcontracting, logit models.

The Effectiveness of Regional Active Labour Market Policies to Fight against Unemployment: An Analysis for Catalonia

The aim of this work is to assess the effectiveness of active labour market policies carried out by the Catalan Public Employment Services (SOC) during the year 2005. The results obtained from the application of matching techniques show that the probability of finding a job for an individual who participated in any of the analyzed SOC's actions is 5 percentage points higher in relation to those who did not participate. The individual analysis of the different programs has shown the effectiveness of the greater part of the actions carried out. Last, the results have also highlighted the further improvement of the combination of some of the actions.active labour market policies, unemployment, propensity score matching

The role of the tourism sector in economic development - Lessons from the Spanish experience

Tourism is one of the most important sectors in the world economy, and it is now considered as an efficient tool for promoting economic growth. In this respect, the experience of the Spanish economy is well known, and might be used to illustrate the benefits of the development of the tourism sector in lagging economies. Actually, there is wide consensus in the idea of its role in enhancing the Spanish industrialisation process. The foreign currency receipts from tourism contributed to finance the expansion of manufacturing by financing imports of capital goods. Moreover, the expansion of tourism in the last three decades has been unstoppable and beneficial for the economy in different aspects. The main purpose of this paper is to assess the real role of the tourism sector in the Spanish economy during the last three decades, paying especial attention to its contribution to the industrialisation of some of the less developed regions. Policy issues that are derived from the results for the Spanish experience should be useful for other developing countries in similar situations, and reveal how the tourist activity in those economies can benefit the overall economy, helping growth in other sectors

Job losses, outsourcing and relocation: empirical evidence using microdata

Using microdata, we analyse the determinants of firm relocation and outsourcing decisions and their effects on firms' employment decisions. The results for a sample of 32 countries show that both strategies have been more intense in the EU-15 countries than in the rest and that, in some cases, they have been complementary. Regarding the determinants, we have found that while some characteristics such as size, age, activity sector, main market or belonging to a group affect both decisions, other such as a higher innovation, demand sensitivity or productivity explain why some firms choose to subcontract instead of relocate