Measuring Knowledge-capital Stock and Its Relationship with Economic Growth in the Mexican States

Abstract

This work proposes a new technique for measuring knowledge capital that applies the concept of Euclidian distance to factors often considered pillars of knowledge. Importantly, this methodological proposal can suitably treat variables assessed using different measurement units and scales. The empirical exercise considers the 32 Mexican states between 2000 and 2016, with results classifying the economies into high and low knowledge levels and estimates of the link between knowledge and economic growth, confirming the hypothesis of decreasing returns and demonstrating a positive relationship with knowledge capital. The conclusions recommend strengthening knowledge capital in all regions to boost economic growth and transition to a knowledge economy.