Development Talk: Using Economic Complexity for Policymaking – The Case of Córdoba, Argentina

The Growth Lab’s “Development Talks” is a series of conversations with policymakers and academics working on economic growth and development in countries, regions, states and cities in the US and around the world. The seminar provides a platform for practitioners and researchers to discuss both economic growth and development and analytical work centered on policy.

This event is online only. Please register in advance.

Speakers:

Andrés Michel, Secretary of Economic Policy in the Government of the Province of Córdoba
Paula Luvini, Researcher in the Data Science Area at Fundar
Matías Gutman, Coordinator in the Productive Policy Area at Fundar

About the talk: Córdoba, the second largest city in Argentina, is a major tech and education hub with significant potential to attract new industries. However, the complexity of the city’s export basket is an important question. The Government of Córdoba and the think tank Fundar conducted a study to explore opportunities for designing a productive development strategy and policy for the city. Economic Complexity is a key tool in this process, helping to identify sectors with the most potential and to create evidence-based public policies. To achieve this goal, new data on provincial exports and local firms was used. Using secondary sources and web scraping, a new geolocated database of export firms and their goods was created. This database was then used to recalculate the complexity indexes at the city level. As a result, 28 products with potential for Córdoba were selected and grouped into three categories: Machinery, Food and Beverages, and others. The Economic Complexity approach is valuable, leveraging current export data to formulate a concrete plan for future growth. It highlights existing sectors that need improvement and modernization, as well as strategic sectors that are currently underrepresented but have potential to contribute.