Economic and technological complexity: A model study of indicators of knowledge-based innovation systems
Inga Ivanova (),
Øivind Strand,
Duncan Kushnir and
Loet Leydesdorff
Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 2017, vol. 120, issue C, 77-89
Abstract:
The Economic Complexity Index (ECI; Hidalgo and Hausmann, 2009) measures the complexity of national economies in terms of product groups. Analogously to ECI, the Patent Complexity Index (PatCI) can be developed on the basis of a matrix of nations versus patent classes. Using linear algebra, the three dimensions—countries, product groups, and patent classes—can be combined into a measure of “Triple Helix” complexity (THCI) including the trilateral interaction terms between knowledge production, wealth generation, and (national) control. THCI can be expected to capture the extent of systems integration between the global dynamics of markets (ECI) and technologies (PatCI) in each national system of innovation. We measure ECI, PatCI, and THCI during the period 2000–2014 for the 34 OECD member states, the BRICS countries, and a group of emerging and affiliated economies (Argentina, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Romania, and Singapore). The three complexity indicators are correlated between themselves; but the correlations with GDP per capita are virtually absent. Of the world's major economies, Japan scores highest on all three indicators, while China has been increasingly successful in combining economic and technological complexity. We could not reproduce the correlation between ECI and average income that has been central to the argument about the fruitfulness of the economic complexity approach.
Keywords: National innovation system; Complexity; Patent; Technology; Triple helix; Indicator (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (28)
Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0040162517304857
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
Related works:
Working Paper: Economic and Technological Complexity: A Model Study of Indicators of Knowledge-based Innovation Systems (2016)
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.
Export reference: BibTeX
RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan)
HTML/Text
Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:tefoso:v:120:y:2017:i:c:p:77-89
DOI: 10.1016/j.techfore.2017.04.007
Access Statistics for this article
Technological Forecasting and Social Change is currently edited by Fred Phillips
More articles in Technological Forecasting and Social Change from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().