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The great divide: economic complexity and development paths in Brazil and the Republic of Korea

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  • Britto, Gustavo
  • Romero, João Prates
  • Freitas, Elton
  • Coelho, Clara

Abstract

This paper uses the product space methodology to gain new perspectives on the relationship between economic complexity and economic development, illustrated by case studies of Brazil and the Republic of Korea. It takes import data as an indicator of revealed comparative disadvantage to highlight the relevance of the local market. Product space networks for each decade between 1960 and 2000 are then presented, revealing the significant changes in each country’s position in the international division of labour. Lastly, a structural development index is used to measure economic development in each country. The revealed comparative advantage and disadvantage indices indicate that while both countries had similar levels of per capita gross domestic product (GDP) in the early 1960s, the Republic of Korea saw faster growth than Brazil thanks to its early specialization in more complex, technology-intensive goods.

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  • Britto, Gustavo & Romero, João Prates & Freitas, Elton & Coelho, Clara, 2019. "The great divide: economic complexity and development paths in Brazil and the Republic of Korea," Revista CEPAL, Naciones Unidas Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL), April.
    • Handle: RePEc:ecr:col070:44721
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    3. Hartmann, Dominik & Zagato, Ligia & Gala, Paulo & Pinheiro, Flavio L., 2021. "Why did some countries catch-up, while others got stuck in the middle? Stages of productive sophistication and smart industrial policies," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 1-13.
    4. Filippo Bontadini & Mercedes Campi & Marco Due~nas, 2023. "Being at the core: firm product specialisation," Papers 2302.02767, arXiv.org, revised Mar 2023.
    5. Filippo Bontadini & Mercedes Campi & Marco Due~nas, 2023. "Being at the core: firm product specialisation," Papers 2302.02767, arXiv.org, revised Mar 2023.
    6. Ben-Hur Francisco Cardoso & Eva Yamila da Silva Catela & Guilherme Viegas & Fl'avio L. Pinheiro & Dominik Hartmann, 2023. "Export complexity, industrial complexity and regional economic growth in Brazil," Papers 2312.07469, arXiv.org.

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