September 2009

IZA DP No. 4453: Regional Economic Growth and Human Capital: The Role of Overeducation

published in: Regional Studies, 2012, 46 (10), 1389-1400

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.