Applying a Big Data Solution for Industrial Policy-making (Case study: Parts and Equipment Manufacturing Industry of Iran)

The upward trend of data production and the available methods for analyzing big data provide different areas such as that of policymaking with modern tools. Yet, the understanding of the policymaking world -especially in developing countries- of this phenomenon is at a basic level, and the bulk of policy-making related research conducted in Iran is based on qualitative and expertise approaches. The present study aims at using an approach based on the big data of economic complexity in industrial policymaking domain and presenting its results. This article investigates policy-making in Iran’s parts and equipment manufacturing industry development by conducting a case study on the world trade data of exported goods related to the parts and equipment manufacturing industry in the world and analyzing this data using economic complexity approach. To this end, using data from the six-digit version of the Harmonized coding system, 669 commodity codes in the industry of parts and equipment manufacturing were examined. Following this, the viable production opportunities for parts and equipment manufacturing industry were identified. Therefore, the products which, if produced and exported, can make the parts and equipment manufacturing industry more sophisticated and can boost technological potentialities and increase export revenue were introduced. Accordingly, the production of some of the motors, Turbines Electromotors, Tube, pipe and rail equipment account for Iran’s production opportunities.