CAPITAL DYNAMICS AND SUSTAINABLE GROWTH IN SIX ASEAN NATIONS: GMM ESTIMATION IN THE PERSPECTIVE OF SDGS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21831/jim.v23i1.96586Keywords:
Economic Growth, Dynamic Panel GMM, Physical Capital, Human Capital, ASEAN, SDGsAbstract
Sustainable economic development in Southeast Asia remains a central theme in regional policy debates, particularly regarding the efficiency of factor accumulation. This study empirically investigates the dynamic relationship between physical capital, human capital, labor force, and economic growth in six ASEAN countries (Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar). Using a Two-Step System Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) approach for the period 2017–2023, the study overcomes potential endogeneity issues and captures the path-dependent nature of regional growth. Empirical results demonstrate a high degree of growth persistence, with the lagged GDP coefficient indicating a strong momentum effect. Physical capital is found to be the primary and most significant driver of economic expansion, validating the importance of sustained infrastructure investment. In contrast, human capital and labor force participation do not have a statistically significant impact on GDP, highlighting the profound "education-growth puzzle" and potential skills mismatch in the region. These findings suggest that despite ASEAN's growth being underpinned by a capital-intensive strategy, the region faces structural challenges in transforming human capital expansion into tangible productivity. Policy recommendations emphasize the need for a shift from quantity-based to quality-based education, as well as better alignment between academic curricula and industry demand to ensure inclusive and productivity-based growth in line with SDGs 4, 8, and 9.
References
Amin, N., Shabbir, M. S., & Song, H. (2024). Renewable energy consumption and its impact on environmental quality: A pathway for achieving sustainable development goals in ASEAN countries. Energy & Environment, 35(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/0958305X221134113
Arellano, M., & Bond, S. (1991). Some tests of specification for panel data: Monte Carlo evidence and an application to employment equations. The Review of Economic Studies, 58(2), 277-297.
Arellano, M., & Bover, O. (1995). Another look at the instrumental variable estimation of error-components models. Journal of Econometrics, 68(1), 29–51.
Barro, R. J., & Lee, J. W. (2013). A new data set of educational attainment in the world, 1950–2010. Journal of Development Economics, 104, 184-198.
Blundell, R., & Bond, S. (1998). Initial conditions and moment restrictions in dynamic panel data models. Journal of Econometrics, 87(1), 115–143.
Darku, A. B., & Yeboah, R. (2018). Economic openness and income growth in developing countries: A regional comparative analysis. Applied Economics, 50(19), 2154–2169. https://doi.org/10.1080/00036846.2017.1343449
Darku, A. B., & Yeboah, R. (2018). Economic openness and income growth in developing countries: A regional comparative analysis. Applied Economics, 50(19), 2154–2169.
Ha, J., & Lee, S.-H. (2018). Population aging and the possibility of a middle-income trap in Asia. Emerging Markets Finance and Trade, 54(13), 2979–2994. https://doi.org/10.1080/1540496X.2018.1429263
Hanushek, E. A., & Woessmann, L. (2012). Do better schools lead to more growth? Cognitive skills, economic outcomes, and causation. Journal of Economic Growth, 17(4), 267–321. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10887-012-9081-x
Haseeb, M., Kot, S., Hussain, H. I., & Jermsittiparsert, K. (2019). Impact of economic growth, environmental pollution, and energy consumption on health expenditure and R&D expenditure of ASEAN countries. Energies, 12(19), 3598. https://doi.org/10.3390/en12193598
Jalilov, S.-M., Kefi, M., Kumar, P., Masago, Y., & Mishra, B. K. (2018). Sustainable urban water management: Application for integrated assessment in Southeast Asia. Sustainability, 10(1), 122. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10010122
Khan, I., Hou, F., & Le, H. P. (2021). The impact of natural resources, energy consumption, and population growth on environmental quality: Fresh evidence from the United States of America. The Science of the Total Environment, 754, 142222. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.142222
Liu, J., Wang, M., Yang, L., Rahman, S., & Sriboonchitta, S. (2020). Agricultural productivity growth and its determinants in South and Southeast Asian countries. Sustainability, 12(12), 4981. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12124981
Lucas, R. E. (1988). On the mechanics of economic development. Journal of Monetary Economics, 22(1), 3-42.
Maneejuk, P., & Yamaka, W. (2021). The impact of higher education on economic growth in ASEAN-5 countries. Sustainability, 13(2), 520. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13020520
Namraksa, S., Kraiwanit, T., Keawngam, T., Ponsri, R., & Chaowanachaemchun, N. (2025). Cost and return of an international study program in a developing country: A context of strategy. Corporate and Business Strategy Review, 6(4). https://doi.org/10.22495/cbsrv6i4art14
Nassary, E. K., Magubika, A. J., Mwampashi, L. L., Fukah, F. K., & Kahangwa, C. A. (2025). Transitioning to clean energy and opportunities for developing countries. Energy Strategy Reviews, 58, 101909. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esr.2025.101909
Nguyen, H. T. (2023). The role of human capital in the relationship between foreign direct investment and exports in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Forum Scientiae Oeconomia, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.23762/FSO_VOL11_NO1_8
Nguyen, H. T. (2023). The role of human capital in the relationship between foreign direct investment and exports in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Forum Scientiae Oeconomia, 11(1).
Nguyen, H. V., Nguyen, T. T. T., To, T. H., Dang, D. Q., & Luong, T. T. D. (2020). Impacts of foreign direct investment on human capital in ASEAN. Journal of Distribution Science, 18(9), 13–22. https://doi.org/10.15722/jds.18.9.202009.13
Pinjaman, S., Tee, M., Yun, W. S., Surianshah, S., & Kuncoro, H. (2025). The impact of governance, innovation, and macroeconomic factors on renewable energy generation in ASEAN: A Bayesian approach. Cogent Economics & Finance, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23322039.2025.2535489
Pradhan, R. P., et al. (2017). The dynamics of innovation, financial development, and economic growth. Journal of Economic Structures, 6(1), 1-24.
Pritchett, L. (2001). Where has all the education gone?. The World Bank Economic Review, 15(3), 367-391.
Taylor, R. (2018). Introduction: Asian nations and multinationals—Economic and human resource challenges. In Asian Nations and Multinationals: Overcoming the Limits to Growth (pp. 1–22). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-00913-7_1
Tebourbi, I., Nguyen, A. T. T., Yuan, S. F., & Huang, C. Y. (2023). How do social and economic factors affect carbon emissions? New evidence from five ASEAN developing countries. Economic Research-Ekonomska Istraživanja, 36(1), 2120038. https://doi.org/10.1080/1331677X.2022.2120038
Tebourbi, I., Nguyen, A. T. T., Yuan, S.-F., & Huang, C.-Y. (2023). How do social and economic factors affect carbon emissions? New evidence from five ASEAN developing countries. Economic Research-Ekonomska Istraživanja, 36(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/1331677X.2022.2120038
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
An author who publishes in the journal "Jurnal Ilmu Manajemen (JIM)" agrees to the following terms:
Author retains the copyright and grants the journal the right of first publication of the work simultaneously licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
Author is able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book) with the acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
Author is permitted and encouraged to post his/her work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of the published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
All materials in this site are protected by the law. It is prohibited to quote a part of or all of this website contents for commercial purposes without the permission or consent of the editors.
If anyone finds one article or more in this journal violate or potentially violate one's copyrights, please report to us through e-mail of Principle Contact.
Legal-formal aspects of accessing any information and manuscript in this journal website refer to the provision of license Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike (CC BY-SA). Read more about the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Licence here: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/.
All information available in 'Jurnal Ilmu Ekonomi (JIM)' is academic in nature. 'Jurnal Ilmu Ekonomi (JIM)' is not responsible for loss due to the abuse of information in the website.

.png)