Provided by Research Papers in Economics
38TH CONGRESS OF THE
EUROPEAN REGIONAL SCIENCE ASSOCIATION
28 AUGUST-1 SEPTEMBER 1998 IN VIENNA
Europe quo vadis? - Regional Questions at the Turn of the Century
Paper 73
The use of formal education in Denmark 1980-1992
by
Christian Hansen
Danish Institute of Border Region Studies
Persillegade 6, DK 6200 Aabenraa. Tel. +45 74 62 55 50. E-mail: [email protected]
Preliminary : All comments welcome
Abstract
Education of the labour force is often seen as one of the most important factors for the development of affluent
economies. Denmark is such an economy with a GDP per capita above those of Germany and the US.
Furthermore inequality is low.
Denmark has only 5.1 million inhabitants and is closely interconnected to Cental Europe, both in infrastructure
(Border to Germany, and ferry lines to Scandinavia, UK , Germany and Poland) and economically (EU-member
since 1973). The Danish economy has been open to im- and export of all kinds of goods for decades.
This article analyses the role of formal education for the development of the Danish economy. It uses
input-output tables and is based on the Heckscher-Ohlin-Vanek model for trade and factor endowment.
Content:
1. Introduction
What to explain?
2. Theory of education and economic performance
3. Statistics and Account identities
4. Use of labour 1980-1992: Who is producing what?
5. Education and trade: What is produced?
Education and Danish foreign trade 1980-1992
Trade and wages
6. Education and productivity: How is produced?
7. Conclusion
Acknowledgment: This research is included in the research program: Polarisation of the Welfare Society and
the Funding Crises managed by Institute of Local Government Studies Denmark, and it received financial
support from the Danish Social Science Research Council.