The Two Faces of Knowledge Diffusion: the Chilean Case

This paper analyses the dynamics of return to knowledge where knowledge is acquired through the combination of interactive and individual learning. We suggest that in light of this new definition of knowledge, choosing the optimal level of education is no longer an individual exercise of present and future utility maximisation as suggested by more formal human capital theory (Becker, 1964). In fact, other external (environmental) variables might affect the individual decision of investment. We calculate the effect of individual and interactive learning in determining the wage of Chilean workers aged between 14 and 65.