High-tech industry: a taxonomy based on R&D intensity and trade performance

Abstract

This paper aims to build and discuss a typology of national high tech industries according to technology intensity and international trade. To fundament the analyze it was used the production fragmentation concept. It was made a matrix of countries according to their position in the two selected indicators. As a result it was found four types of countries: (i) surplus technology leaders; (ii) deficit technology leaders; (iii) surplus technology followers and (iv) deficit technology followers. The paper concludes that the traditional theories about international commerce cannot explain the matrix as a whole. To do so, it is necessary to use the production fragmentation concept that is a new concept in the global value chain theory.

Keywords

• High Technology; Product fragmentation; Foreign Trade