Abstract

Performance and fragmentation of Mercosur high-tech industry. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the actual ion of the Mercosur in the international trade of goods with high technology and the degree of progress along the technological chain. The main contribution of this paper is to construct an indicator of value added, results from the difference between exports of final goods and imports of parts and components. This indicator allows a more appropriate analysis in terms of trade balance, of sectors increasingly embedded in processes of production fragmentation. The main conclusion is that there is no strong evidence that such countries are moving towards more downstream stages of the value chains in high technology sectors, except for the aircraft industry (especially Brazil).

JEL Classification: F13; F14; F15; O14; OJ9.