Human capital, social capital, and economic growth: Evidence from panel data in China

This paper has constructed a measure model of macro social capital including three dimensions: network, trust, and institutions. Based on panel data of 23 provinces during 1997–2007 in China, this paper has empirically examined the influences of human capital and social capital on economic growth. We divide our sample into two groups according to the economic prosperity, and analyze the disparities in the function of human capital and social capital on economic growth in difference areas, thus providing policy suggestions on the investment priority in different areas.