Product Variety and Economic Growth; Empirical Evidence for the OECD Countries

24 Pages Posted: 5 Apr 2001

See all articles by Michael Funke

Michael Funke

University of Hamburg - Department of Economics; Tallinn University of Technology (TUT)

Ralf Ruhwedel

University of Hamburg

Date Written: February 2000

Abstract

Utilizing panel data for 19 OECD countries we find support for the hypothesis that a greater degree of product variety relative to the US 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 merging conclusion is that the index of relative product variety across countries is significantly correlated with relative per capita income levels.

JEL Classification: F41, F43, C23

Suggested Citation

Funke, Michael and Ruhwedel, Ralf, Product Variety and Economic Growth; Empirical Evidence for the OECD Countries (February 2000). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=263960 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.263960

Michael Funke (Contact Author)

University of Hamburg - Department of Economics ( email )

Von-Melle-Park 5
room 2128 C rise
Hamburg, 20146
Germany

Tallinn University of Technology (TUT) ( email )

Ehitajate tee 5
Tallinn, 12618
Estonia

Ralf Ruhwedel

University of Hamburg ( email )

Von-Melle-Park 5
20146 Hamburg
Germany

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