Date of Award
2026
Document Type
Honors Thesis
Degree Name
Economics, BA, BS
School
CAS
Department
Economics Department
Faculty Advisor
Sarah Tang
Abstract
This study investigates the extent to which international student achievement, measured through PISA assessments in mathematics, reading, and science, explains cross-country differences in economic development. Using an unbalanced panel data set combining PISA results from 2015, 2018, and 2022 with macroeconomic indicators from the World Development Indicators, I estimate multiple regression models, including pooled OLS, country and time fixed effects, and subsample analyses for developed and developing countries. Results from the pooled model indicate strong positive associations between PISA scores and GDP per capita, consistent with human capital theory. However, these relationships diminish under fixed effects specifications, suggesting that cross-country variation rather than within-country changes drive most observed correlations. Subsample results show that cognitive skills exhibit larger impacts in developing economies, where marginal improvements in human capital may generate greater economic returns. Overall, the findings highlight the importance of education quality as a determinant of economic development, while also underscoring methodological challenges in identifying causal effects across heterogeneous national contexts.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Recommended Citation
Nasr, Emma Rose, "The Impact of Student Achievement on Economic Growth: A PISA-Based Analysis of GDP per Capita" (2026). Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects. 49.
https://dc.suffolk.edu/undergrad/49
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