Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/17837 
Year of Publication: 
2007
Series/Report no.: 
Kiel Working Paper No. 1310
Publisher: 
Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW), Kiel
Abstract: 
The paper concentrates on the question whether the low level of productivity in East Germany can be explained by deficits in the stock of human capital. It is shown that figures on ?formal? qualifications yield a too optimistic view on human capital endowments; in fact, the effective stock on human capital in East Germany is lower than in West Germany when differences in job activities are taken into account. One reason is the dominance of non human capitalintensive industries as a consequence of locational decisions in the past. Another reason is a low human capital intensity within the different branches which is a consequence of specialization within affiliated firms. In the next years human capital endowment of the East German economy will further deteriorate as a result of selective migration and unfavorable educational attendance of the younger cohorts. This impedes a fast convergence in productivity between East and West Germany.
Subjects: 
Productivity
East Germany
Human Capital
JEL: 
J24
O47
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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