Convergence of Higher Education and Economic Growth during the European Construction: A Contribution to the Cliometrics of Growth (EU-15)

Abstract

With the Treaty of Maastricht, European states committed themselves to the pathway of Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). Admission to EMU assumes respect for certain so-called ‘convergence criteria’. In spite of this joint determination to achieve harmonisation, education, one of the most important socio-economic fields, remains in the hands of the member states. With this as the point of departure, this article is aimed at checking whether the construction of Europe was accompanied by convergence in terms of per capita gross domestic product (GDP) and in terms of the development of higher education. Results show that depending on whether examination is performed on a stage-by-stage basis or for the entire study period, the development of higher education precedes or follows economic development.