Product Complexity and Economic Development

Arnelyn Abdon, Marife Bacate, Jesus Felipe () and Utsav Kumar

Economics Working Paper Archive from Levy Economics Institute

Abstract: We rank 5,107 products and 124 countries according to the Hidalgo and Hausmann (2009) measures of complexity. We find that: (1) the most complex products are in machinery, chemicals, and metals, while the least complex products are raw materials and commodities, wood, textiles, and agricultural products; (2) the most complex economies in the world are Japan, Germany, and Sweden, and the least complex, Cambodia, Papua New Guinea, and Nigeria; (3) the major exporters of the more complex products are the high-income countries, while the major exporters of the less complex products are the low-income countries; and (4) export shares of the more complex products increase with income, while export shares of the less complex products decrease with income. Finally, we relate the measure of product complexity with the concept of Complex Products and Systems, and find a high degree of conformity between them.

Keywords: Capabilities; Development; Economic Complexity; Diversification; Method of Reflections; Product Complexity; Ubiquity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O10 O14 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2010-09
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-dev and nep-int
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (12)

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Journal Article: Product complexity and economic development (2012)
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