Abstract:

Purpose: In the globalizing world, one of the most important factors for countries to reach higher income levels is to have an export pattern based on high technology. It is a very important issue, especially if the countries in the upper- middle income level support the economic growth of their exports with the technology they have. The aim of the study is to investigate the effect of high technology product exports on economic growth in 29 upper-middle income countries. Methodology: In this study, the Augmented Mean Group (AMG) estimator developed by Eberhardt and Teal (2010) using panel data for the period 1996-2017 was used. Findings: According to the results of the analysis using the Augmented Mean Group (AMG) estimator, there was no statistically significant effect of high-tech product exports on economic growth. Gross fixed capital formation and public expenditures included in the model as control variable had a statistically significant and positive effect on economic growth, but there was no found statistically significant relationship regarding the total labor variable. Originality: It is thought that the study will contribute to the economics literature in terms of drawing attention to the importance of high technology product exports in reaching a higher income level in upper-middle income countries.

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