Cognitive Skills, Schooling Attainment, and Schooling Resources: What Drives Economic Growth?

This paper presents evidence that students’ test scores at ages 9 to 15 are not a good proxy for a nation’s stock of human capital. Across countries test scores rise with increases in human capital up to $40,000/adult (2000$), but then decline as human capital increases up to $125,000/adult. Schooling attainment is a better proxy for the human capital stock than test scores, but it is not very useful for statistical analysis because it is not a precise measure. The nation’s stock of human capital, calculated from cumulative investment in schooling, is the schooling measure most correlated with national income.This paper presents evidence that students’ test scores at ages 9 to 15 are not a good proxy for a nation’s stock of human capital. Across countries test scores rise with increases in human capital up to $40,000/adult (2000$), but then decline as human capital increases up to $125,000/adult. Schooling attainment is a better proxy for the human capital stock than test scores, but it is not very useful for statistical analysis because it is not a precise measure. The nation’s stock of human capital, calculated from cumulative investment in schooling, is the schooling measure most correlated with national income