Exploring the relationship between high-technology exports and scientific advancement, education and economic factors: evidence from European countries

This study examines the associations between scientific advancement, education, economic factors, and high-technology exports. The analyses consider both total high-technology exports and six specific high-technology product categories: aerospace, electronics and telecommunications, pharmaceuticals, scientific instruments, electrical machinery, and non-electrical machinery. Using panel data for European countries over the period 2007–2021, fixed effects regression models with country and time effects are estimated to assess the relationships between these factors and export performance across different high-technology sectors. The study contributes to the literature by examining high-technology exports at a disaggregated sectoral level rather than as a single aggregate measure and by comparing the associations of scientific, educational, and economic factors across multiple high-technology industries. The findings provide evidence on the factors linked to high-technology export performance, while acknowledging that the country-level nature of the data does not permit firm-level analysis or causal interpretation of the observed relationships.