| Abstract [eng] |
The thesis consists of three main parts. The first part reviews the theory of economic complexity, its measurement methods, and key determinants, with particular emphasis on the role of R&D within innovation systems. The second part presents the research methodology, hypotheses, and diagnostic procedures. The third part provides a descriptive analysis of EU trends and reports the results of the econometric estimations. The empirical analysis employs a lagged fixed-effects panel regression for 25 EU countries over the period 2000–2023, using panel-corrected standard errors to account for cross-sectional dependence and heteroskedasticity. The results indicate that R&D intensity has a positive effect on economic complexity (β = 0.066). The decomposition analysis reveals that business-sector R&D has the strongest impact (β = 0.129), while government and higher-education R&D exhibit weaker and more indirect relationships. The novelty of the study lies in the application of economic complexity as an outcome measure of R&D performance and in the analysis of long-term cross-country dynamics within the EU context. The findings provide policy-relevant insights into the structural role of R&D investment, suggesting that innovation policy should prioritize business-sector R&D instruments and strengthen linkages between universities and industry. |
