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Announcements
Recent work by Hidalgo, Hausmann, and their colleagues is providing new analytical approaches to thinking about economic development. The focus is on the changing structure of economies, and how countries acquire “capabilities” that can be used to produce multiple goods. They argue that countries are more likely to produce new goods if they have already acquired most of the necessary capabilities.
Without challenging the basic concept of capabilities as a key to understanding structural change, this working paper does challenge another output of Hidalgo and Hausmann’s work, the measure of economic complexity that arises from their Method of Reflections. While the issues are technical, the consequences are not, because this measure has been reported as an economic complexity index (ECI) that is being used in reports and papers. The ECI is capable of explaining differences in income level and growth. This working paper challenges the interpretation of the index as being a measure of complexity, and offers an alternative explanation for why it correlates well with income level and growth.
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Journal article / This article provides a comprehensive analysis of the role and influence of externally sourced experts at the Swedish development aid agency, Sida.
Project / The Maximising UK Adaptation to Clmate Change project aims to assess how the country can best adapt to extreme weather and other effects of climate change.
Feature / Andreas Heinemeyer contributed to a recent briefing for the UK parliament, drawing on his expertise in peatland management.
Design and development by Soapbox.
