Product Variety and Economic Growth: Empirical Evidence for the Oecd Countries
January 1, 2000
Download PDF
More Formats on IMF eLibrary
Order a Print CopyDisclaimer: 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:
Issue:
005
Series:
Working Paper No. 2000/005
Stock No:
WPIEA0052000
ISBN:
9781451842173
ISSN:
1018-5941
