IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/vrs/joheec/v4y2017i1p11-35n2.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Dynamics of Product Complexity in Africa: Structural Estimation Using Structuralists Model

Author

Listed:
  • Gebrerufael Samson Gebresilasie

    (MSc in Economic Policy Analysis, PhD Fellow at Maastricht University, UNU-MERIT, the Netherlands; Lecturer of Economics at Aksum University, Ethiopia, Postal address: Aksum University, P.O.BOX 1010, Aksum, Ethiopia)

Abstract

Applying the linear LAS (Latin American Structuralists) technological intensity model in Africa, this paper presents African nations are still diversifying their outputs towards the ubiquitous (fewer complexes) products. Put it simple, using the economic complexity index of Africa (explanatory variable) as a proxy for the technological intensity in Africa and per capita GDP gap (explanatory variable) as a proxy for technology gap, the paper presents a significant and positive relationship between economic complexity index of Africa and the time derivative of the economic complexity index of Africa (the explained variable). This implies that “weak” effort African nations exerted so far in diversifying their outputs towards the less ubiquitous commodities and absence of “automatic catch up tendency” (unlike what is presupposed by the mainstream neo-classical growth models). The linear panel data regression is employed on sample of 23 African economies and OECD member economies for the period 1996-2014.

Suggested Citation

  • Gebrerufael Samson Gebresilasie, 2017. "Dynamics of Product Complexity in Africa: Structural Estimation Using Structuralists Model," Journal of Heterodox Economics, Sciendo, vol. 4(1), pages 11-35, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:vrs:joheec:v:4:y:2017:i:1:p:11-35:n:2
    DOI: 10.1515/jheec-2017-0002
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1515/jheec-2017-0002
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1515/jheec-2017-0002?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Cesar A. Hidalgo & Ricardo Hausmann, 2009. "The Building Blocks of Economic Complexity," Papers 0909.3890, arXiv.org.
    2. Anthony P. Thirlwall, 2011. "The Balance of Payments Constraint as an Explanation of International Growth Rate Differences," PSL Quarterly Review, Economia civile, vol. 64(259), pages 429-438.
    3. Mario Cimoli & Gabriel Porcile, 2014. "Technology, structural change and BOP-constrained growth: a structuralist toolbox," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 38(1), pages 215-237.
    4. Hausman, Jerry, 2015. "Specification tests in econometrics," Applied Econometrics, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), vol. 38(2), pages 112-134.
    5. M. V. Posner, 1961. "International Trade And Technical Change," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 13(3), pages 323-341.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Godwin Olasehinde‐Williams & Ayodele Folorunso Oshodi, 2021. "Can Africa raise export competitiveness through economic complexity? Evidence from (non)‐parametric panel techniques," African Development Review, African Development Bank, vol. 33(3), pages 426-438, September.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Dosi, Giovanni & Roventini, Andrea & Russo, Emanuele, 2019. "Endogenous growth and global divergence in a multi-country agent-based model," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 101-129.
    2. Ganguly, Arpan & Spinola, Danilo, 2024. "Growth and distribution regimes under global value chains: Diversification, integration, and uneven development," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 634-649.
    3. Colin Wessendorf & Alexander Kopka & Dirk Fornahl, 2021. "The impact of the six European Key Enabling Technologies (KETs) on regional knowledge creation," Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography (PEEG) 2127, Utrecht University, Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Group Economic Geography, revised Sep 2021.
    4. Keld Laursen, 1998. "How Structural Change Differs, and Why it Matters (for Economic Growth)," DRUID Working Papers 98-25, DRUID, Copenhagen Business School, Department of Industrial Economics and Strategy/Aalborg University, Department of Business Studies.
    5. Srdelić, Leonarda & Dávila-Fernández, Marwil J., 2024. "International trade and economic growth in Croatia," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 240-258.
    6. Andre Nassif & Carmem Aparecida Feijo & Eliane Araújo, 2016. "Structural change, catching up and falling behind in the BRICS: A comparative analysis based on trade pattern and Thirlwall’s Law," PSL Quarterly Review, Economia civile, vol. 69(279), pages 373-421.
    7. Valeriy V. Mironov & Liudmila D. Konovalova, 2019. "Structural changes and economic growth in the world economy and Russia," Russian Journal of Economics, ARPHA Platform, vol. 5(1), pages 1-26, April.
    8. Marwil J. Dávila-Fernández & Serena Sordi, 2021. "Thirlwall's law: Binding-constraint or centre-of-gravity? A possible Kaleckian solution," Department of Economics University of Siena 853, Department of Economics, University of Siena.
    9. Freire Junior, Clovis, 2017. "Economic diversification: Explaining the pattern of diversification in the global economy and its implications for fostering diversification in poorer countries," MERIT Working Papers 2017-033, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    10. Fabrício J. Missio & Frederico G. Jayme Jr. & Gustavo Britto & José Luis Oreiro, 2015. "Real Exchange Rate and Economic Growth: New Empirical Evidence," Metroeconomica, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 66(4), pages 686-714, November.
    11. Gabriel Porcile & Danilo Sartorello Spinola, 2018. "Natural, Effective and BOP-Constrained Rates of Growth: Adjustment Mechanisms and Closure Equations," PSL Quarterly Review, Economia civile, vol. 71(285), pages 139-160.
    12. Gouvea, Raphael Rocha & Lima, Gilberto Tadeu, 2011. "Balance-of-payments-constrained growth in a multisectoral framework: a panel data investigation," MPRA Paper 29816, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    13. João Prates Romero, 2018. "A Kaldor-Schumpeter Model Of Cumulative Growth: Combining Increasing Returns And Non-Price Competitiveness With Technological Catch-Up And Research Intensity," Anais do XLIV Encontro Nacional de Economia [Proceedings of the 44th Brazilian Economics Meeting] 75, ANPEC - Associação Nacional dos Centros de Pós-Graduação em Economia [Brazilian Association of Graduate Programs in Economics].
    14. Porcile, Gabriel & Sartorello Spinola, Danilo & Yajima, Giuliano, 2020. "Patterns of growth in structuralist models: The role of the real exchange rate and industrial policy," MERIT Working Papers 2020-027, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    15. Trung V. Vu, 2022. "Does institutional quality foster economic complexity? The fundamental drivers of productive capabilities," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 63(3), pages 1571-1604, September.
    16. Constantine, Collin & Khemraj, Tarron, 2019. "Geography, economic structures and institutions: A synthesis," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 371-379.
    17. Francesco Macheda & Roberto Nadalini, 2020. "The Danger of a “Geyser Disease†Effect: Structural Fragility of the Tourism-Led Recovery in Iceland," Review of Radical Political Economics, Union for Radical Political Economics, vol. 52(1), pages 50-76, March.
    18. Talal H. Alsabhan & Muhammad Tahir, 2024. "The Moderating Role of Income on the Complexity–Sustainability Nexus: Evidence from BRICS Members," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(23), pages 1-12, November.
    19. repec:spo:wpmain:info:hdl:2441/46k9rkvut99i7qnn4vqm25t53b is not listed on IDEAS
    20. Jan Fagerberg & Martin Srholec, 2017. "Explaining regional economic performance: the role of competitiveness, specialization and capabilities," Chapters, in: Robert Huggins & Piers Thompson (ed.), Handbook of Regions and Competitiveness, chapter 5, pages 117-135, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    21. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/46k9rkvut99i7qnn4vqm25t53b is not listed on IDEAS
    22. Mateo Hoyos, 2025. "North–South Trade as a Source of Uneven Development: A Critical Literature Review on the Role of Absorptive Capacity," Journal of Industry, Competition and Trade, Springer, vol. 25(1), pages 1-21, December.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Technology gap; technological intensity; economic complexity index; product diversification; product ubiquity;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O3 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights
    • F1 - International Economics - - Trade

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:vrs:joheec:v:4:y:2017:i:1:p:11-35:n:2. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Peter Golla (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.sciendo.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.