Do economic reforms and human capital explain post-reform growth?

Abstract

By employing a conventional production function, this study advances theoretical and empirical research on the role of economic reforms and human capital on the post-reform economic growth. We construct two unique indices – a composite economic reform index and a human capital index – to perform a comparative analysis of a panel data model and to demonstrate that human capital and economic reforms have had a significant positive effect on economic growth in India and South Korea in the post-reform period. This positive effect is revealed in both contemporaneous and lagged estimations. The impact of reforms is found to be much stronger in South Korea than in India. This study also demonstrates the importance of time-invariant country-specific characteristics, and suggests that policies aimed to improve human capital accumulation have complementary effects on the efficacy of economic reforms.