TY  - JOUR
AU  - Beaudry,Paul
AU  - Francois,Patrick
TI  - Managerial Skill Acquisition and the Theory of Economic Development
JF  - National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper Series
VL  - No. 11451
PY  - 2005
Y2  - July 2005
UR  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w11451
L1  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w11451.pdf
N1  - Author contact info:
Paul Beaudry
Department of Economics
University of British Columbia
Vancouver, Canada
Tel: 604/822-8624
Fax: 604/822-5915
E-Mail: paulbe@interchange.ubc.ca

Patrick Francois
Department of Economics
University of British Columbia
Room 997-1873 East Mall
Vancouver, B.C. Canada V6T 1Z1
E-Mail: francois@interchange.ubc.ca
M2  - featured in NBER digest on 2005-07-04
AB  - Micro level studies in developing countries suggest managerial skills play a key role in the adoption of modern technologies. The human resources literature suggests that managerial skills are difficult  to codify and learn formally, but instead tend to be learned on the job. In this paper we present a model of the interactive process between on-the-job managerial skill acquisition and the adoption of modern technology. The environment considered is one where all learning possibilities are internalized in the market, and where managers are complementary inputs to non-managerial workers. The paper illustrates why some countries may adopt modern technologies while others stay backwards. The paper also explains why managers may not want to migrate from rich countries to poor countries as would be needed to generate income convergence.
ER  -