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Akçomak, S., ter Weel, B. (2009). Social capital, innovation and growth: Evidence from Europe. European Economic Review, 53 (5), 544-567

This paper investigates the interplay between social capital, innovation and per capita income growth in the European Union. We model and identify innovation as an important mechanism that transforms social capital into higher income levels. In an empirical investigation of 102 European regions in the period 1990-2002, we show that higher innovation performance is conducive to per capita income growth and that social capital affects this growth indirectly by fostering innovation. Our estimates suggest that there is no direct role for social capital to foster per capita income growth in our sample of European Union countries.

Authors

Akcomak, İbrahim Semih

I.Semih Akçomak studied economics at the Middle East Technical University (METU) in Ankara, Turkey. Previously, he worked as a research assistant in the Department of Economics at METU where he also obtained his MSc. degree. Semih joined the UNU-MERIT PhD programme in 2003 and has completed...

Ter Weel, Bas

Bas ter Weel is researcher at the Department of Labour Market and Welfare of the Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis

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