The Effect of Labor Force Education in Health Sector on Economic Growth of Iran

Abstract

Introduction : Achieving sustainable economic growth requires investment in infrastructure to increase production capacity. Such investments include not only physical investments, but also human investments, education, and health. In this study, we aim to analyze the effect of labor force education in the health sector on Iran's economic growth. Methods : This is an experimentally analytical-descriptive study conducted using the Autoregressive Distributed Lag Model (ARDL) and annual data for Iran from 1991to 2019. In addition to analyzing the effect of labor force education in the health sector on economic growth, the effect of public education, higher education in the Ministry of Science, physical investment, openness, and export were also examined. Data were extracted by documentary method from the database of the Statistics Center of Iran, and estimates were made using Eviews 10 software. Results : Findings of this study indicated the positive effect of independent variables on Iran's economic growth, in which the coefficients of public education, labor force education in the health sector, labor force education in the Ministry of Science, physical investment, openness, and exports were equal to 0.0125, 0.621, 0.8752, 0.449, 0.218, and 0.2429, respectively. Conclusion : Results of the model estimation indicated the positive impact of public education, labor force education in the health sector, and labor force education in the Ministry of Science. Based on the results of the present study, the adoption of appropriate policies by policymakers in the field of educational investment at the public and higher levels, especially in the health sector, has an effective role in increasing Iran's economic growth.