  The Economic Complexity Index (ECI; Hidalgo & Hausmann, 2009) measures the
complexity of national economies in terms of product groups. Analogously to
ECI, a Patent Complexity Index (PatCI) can be developed on the basis of a
matrix of nations versus patent classes. Using linear algebra, the three
dimensions: countries, product groups, and patent classes can be combined into
a measure of "Triple Helix" complexity (THCI) including the trilateral
interaction terms between knowledge production, wealth generation, and
(national) control. THCI can be expected to capture the extent of systems
integration between the global dynamics of markets (ECI) and technologies
(PatCI) in each national system of innovation. We measure ECI, PatCI, and THCI
during the period 2000-2014 for the 34 OECD member states, the BRICS countries,
and a group of emerging and affiliated economies (Argentina, Hong Kong,
Indonesia, Malaysia, Romania, and Singapore). The three complexity indicators
are correlated between themselves; but the correlations with GDP per capita are
virtually absent. Of the world's major economies, Japan scores highest on all
three indicators, while China has been increasingly successful in combining
economic and technological complexity. We could not reproduce the correlation
between ECI and average income that has been central to the argument about the
fruitfulness of the economic complexity approach.
