Identification and Ranking of Technologies Affecting Inequality: A Study of Selected Countries With Emphasis on Iran

In recent years, new theories have emphasized the importance of the role of structure and the real sector of the economy in inequality. The economic complexity approach considers this as the cause of income inequality in the production of high-tech and complex products. In this regard, the present study examines the impact of economic complexity and ranking the products and technologies affecting inequality in selected countries and Iran during the period of 2010-2017 using the econometric approach of panel data and Granger causality test. The results of the research indicate a strong and positive correlation between the two indicators of economic complexity and the Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index. Also, based on the results for the set of studied countries, the existence of a two-way causal relationship between the technology in products and revenue distribution was accepted. On the other hand, the results showed that among the top 10 export products of Iran in 2017, with the exception of unclassified transactions and polyethylene, the rest have low complexity and unequal income distribution. Finally, some policy proposals were made to move towards the production and export of products with higher technology and more income distribution in Iran.