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Genetic distance and cognitive human capital: a cross-national investigation

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Journal of Bioeconomics Aims and scope

Abstract

This paper explores the correlates of the intelligence quotient and cognitive ability by focusing on genetic distance to frontier nations. The results based on cross-sectional data from 167 countries suggest that genetic distance to global frontiers has a negative relationship with the employed human capital variables. Countries that are genetically far from leading nations tend to have lower levels of human capital with the negative correlation to the USA frontier averagely higher relative to the UK frontier. The sign is consistent and survives the control of macroeconomic, geographic, institutional and other covariates. Policy implications are discussed.

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Notes

  1. Also see: Kodila-Tedika and Mutascu (2014) and Kodila-Tedika and Bolito-Losembe (2014).

  2. The Flynn effect represents a phenomenon where-by on average the Intelligence Quotient (IQ) scores have been increasing worldwide over time, with younger generations performing relatively better than their older counterparts. The average IQ score increases by about 10 points per generation.

  3. We do not believe in race superiority, whatsoever.

  4. We invite the interested reader to refer to the G-Econ project for more information.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are highly indebted to the editor and referees for the constructive comments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Economics, University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

    Oasis Kodila-Tedika

  2. African Governance and Development Institute, Yaoundé, Cameroon

    Simplice A. Asongu

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  1. Oasis Kodila-Tedika
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  2. Simplice A. Asongu
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Correspondence to Oasis Kodila-Tedika.

Appendices

Appendices

See Tables 9 and 10.

Table 9 Summary statistics
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Table 10 Correlation matrix
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Kodila-Tedika, O., Asongu, S.A. Genetic distance and cognitive human capital: a cross-national investigation. J Bioecon 18, 33–51 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10818-015-9210-7

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