Product Variety and Economic Growth: Empirical Evidence for the Oecd Countries

January 1, 2000

Disclaimer: This Working Paper should not be reported as representing the views of the IMF.The views expressed in this Working Paper are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent those of the IMF or IMF policy. Working Papers describe research in progress by the author(s) and are published to elicit comments and to further debate

Summary

This paper uses panel data for 19 OECD countries and finds support for the hypothesis that a greater degree of product variety relative to the United States helps to explain relative per capita GDP levels. The empirical work relies upon some direct measures of product variety calculated from 6-digit OECD export and import data. Although the issue is still far from being settled, the emerging conclusion is that the index of relative product variety across countries is significantly correlated with relative per capita income levels.

Subject: Exports, Human capital, International trade, Labor, National accounts, Personal income

Keywords: economic growth, Exports, factor product variety, final-goods production function, Human capital, intermediate products, OECD countries, panel data, per capita income, Personal income, product variety, product variety in the United States, variety in the United States, WP

Pages:
25
Volume:
2000
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5089/9781451842173.001
Issue:
005
Series:
Working Paper No. 2000/005
Stock No:
WPIEA0052000
ISBN:
9781451842173
ISSN:
1018-5941

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