Technological complexity and economic development

Nepelski, Daniel and De Prato, Giuditta (2015): Technological complexity and economic development.

Abstract

Although technological complexity seems to be a crucial determinant of economic development, it remains insufficiently explored. Relying on micro information stored in individual patent applications and by applying the network view of countries linked to the technologies they develop, we create a global technology space and derive complexity measures that position countries in this space. Our measures of technological diversification and the ubiquity of technologies present in a country’s technology portfolio are further used as an input to explain the role of technological complexity in countries’ income and economic development. We show that a country's position in the global technology space affects its level of income and growth. The main channel through which it happens is the exclusiveness and uniqueness of the technological portfolio a country has, as compared to the remaining countries.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: Technological complexity; Ubiquity; Diversification; Networks; Specialization; Economic Development
• Subjects: F - International Economics > F1 - Trade; O - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth > O1 - Economic Development > O11 - Macroeconomic Analyses of Economic Development; O - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth > O1 - Economic Development > O14 - Industrialization ; Manufacturing and Service Industries ; Choice of Technology; O - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth > O3 - Innovation ; Research and Development ; Technological Change ; Intellectual Property Rights; O - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth > O4 - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity; O - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth > O5 - Economywide Country Studies > O57 - Comparative Studies of Countries

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