Economic complexity of Spanish exports

Abstract

In this paper, the decreasing economic complexity of Spanish products is examined and explained, in a comparison to that experienced by the main developed economies. The possible effects of this decreasing trend on the progress of exports are also analyzed, through a very preliminary estimate of the role of economic complexity in foreign trade. Our analysis seems to confirm that economic complexity is a clear source of competitive advantage of products, which advanced countries tend to lose as emerging countries manufacture more sophisticated industrial products.

Keywords:

exports, competitiveness, sophistication of exports, export share