RISIS Seminar: Constructing a genotypic product space
Institute of Communication and Public Policy
Date: 22 May 2024 / 12:30 - 14:00
Online (Please register to receive the meeting details)
Presenter: Dario Diodato, JRC
Discussant: Nico Pintar, AIT
With Ulrich Schetter, Eric Protzer, Frank Neffke, and Ricardo Hausmann
Abstract
Economic complexity analysis has shown that one can predict the diversification of countries (or regions) into new activities. This is thanks to an empirical tool known as the product space, which infers the similarity of activities from output patterns. While these methods are underpinned by a theory of capabilities, economic complexity is grounded in outcome-based metrics and remains — using a metaphor from biology — phenotypic in nature. In this paper we show how to conduct economic complexity analysis directly on capabilities, by interpreting input requirements of industries as genetic code. We exploit our framework to empirically (i) build a genotypic product space, (ii) to infer countries’ capabilities, and (iii) measure the capabilities that a country is missing for diversifying into a given industry. We then discuss the many advantages of this framework in terms of understanding the development process and of designing policies.
Would you like to present your ongoing work in the RISIS Seminar Series?
Interested presenters are requested to submit a title, a short abstract (10-15 lines), an indication of the preferred presentation period, and suggestions for discussants to Agata Lambrechts at [email protected] .Slots will be filled in on a first-come, first-served basis, provided proposals are aligned with the series' goals.
