Analysis of the Ecuadorian productive network of 2019, using network theory

Abstract

The Ecuadorian productive structure has been characterized by being little diversified, with a high concentration in the production of primary goods and low incorporation of added value. For example, crude oil represents 31.48%, and traditional products such as bananas, cocoa, coffee and shrimp, represent 27.91% of total exports, for the year 2019 (Central Bank of Ecuador, 2019 ). Even so, in the Ecuadorian sphere, the legislative laws stipulate that national production and systemic competitiveness must be encouraged. The latter is made up of the network of interrelationships that include its suppliers of goods and services in different systems such as financial, technological, energy, among others (Esser et al., 2013). Given this, it is necessary to strengthen the links of the network so that they promote sustained sectoral development and generate added value to natural endowments.
For the ex-ante analysis of economic policy, tools such as the Input-Output Matrix and the inverse matrix of Leontief (1986) have been used, which allow distinguishing the backward and forward linkages depending on the purchase and sale transactions. For example, key sectors are those that demand and provide the greatest amount of inputs to other sectors of the economy