The relationship between high technology exports and economic growth in european union countries

In today's world, the importance of international trade and high-technology exports, which have a significant share in foreign trade, is increasing for every country aiming for economic growth at any level of development. However, in the global system where countries are politically and economically positioned, it is crucial for countries to produce high-value products with high-technology features in order to have high levels of power and competitiveness. In this regard, countries are seen to focus on producing and developing high-tech products that have a significant share in foreign trade and exporting these products in order to achieve sustainable growth performance. Additionally, it is observed in the relevant literature that factors such as human capital, R ve D, internet usage rate, information and communication technologies, as well as factors like health and education, are also effective along with high-technology exports in increasing total output. Therefore, it can be inferred that there is an undeniable relationship between high-technology exports and economic growth. Accordingly, using data from 2007 to 2020, analyses were conducted separately for five different models by using the second-generation panel data test, the augmented mean group estimator (AMG), to examine whether there is a long-term relationship between economic growth and independent variables. According to the findings, per capita investments, highly educated individuals, world digital competitiveness index, internet use and high-tech exports positively affect economic growth in EU countries. Furthermore, while R ve D expenditures and per capita health expenditures have a statistically significant negative effect on the economic growth of EU countries, it was found that the number of patents does not have an effect. This study demonstrates that high-technology exports have a significantly positive impact on the economic growth of EU countries. Therefore, it can be stated that in order for EU countries to achieve competitive and sustainable economic growth, they need to invest more in high-tech products and export high-technology products. Keywords: European Union, High Technology Exports, Economic Growth, Digitalization, World Digital Competitiveness Index.