Health, Human Capital and Economic Growth:An International Comparison Study

近年來國外探討健康人力資本對經濟成長影響的相關研究雖有漸漸增加的趨勢，但國內對這方面的研究仍然很少。因此，本研究藉由OECD國家與我國經濟快速成長的經驗，採用Cobb- Douglas 生產函數為基本類型，應用 1993至2003 年間追蹤資料進行實證研究，以探討健康人力資本、教育人力資本、及實物資本等生產要素個別在經濟成長中的影響力、貢獻率、及人力資本的外部經濟效果。實證結果顯示，各生產要素中，以人力資本對OECD國家與我國經濟成長的貢獻率最大。人力資本中又以健康人力資本貢獻率最大，其次是教育人力資本，最後是人力資本的外部經濟效果。高所得組國家健康人力資本貢獻率雖然低於低所得組國家，但高所得組國家人力資本存在外部經濟效果，藉由其外部經濟效果可使其教育人力資本及實物資本貢獻率均相對提高，而低所得組國家健康人力資本的貢獻是直接反映在其健康人力資本上，所以並不存在外部經濟效果。In recent years, the studies of the relationship between health human capital and economic growth are gradually increasing. However, it is still very few studies in Taiwan. Accordingly, this study adopts Cobb-Douglas production function and uses panel data from 1993 to 2003 of OECD countries as well as Taiwan to conduct an empirical study. The aim of this study is to explore the influence, the contribution rate and the human capital external economy effect of the healthy human capital, the education human capital, and the physical capital grows in the economy respectively. The results of this study show that the human capital contributes most to the economic growth of OECD country and Taiwan. Especially, the human capital in health human capital is the largest factor, education human capital is the second, and the human capital external economy effect is the next. Although the contribution rate of health human capital of high income country group is lower than the low income country group, the high income country group human capital has the external economy effect. However, the contribution of healthy human capital in low income country group directly reflects in health human capital, therefore the human capital does not have the external economy effect