STRUCTURAL CLUSTERS AND INCOME GAPS: HOW TECHNOLOGY AND SECURITY SHAPE ECONOMIC OUTCOMES

Abstract

This study looks at how technological diffusion and security infrastructure shape economic development, with GDP per capita as the main outcome measure. The aim is to explain why income levels and growth trajectories differ across advanced, transitional, and developing economies — and what structural features drive those differences. The approach mixes inductive and deductive reasoning, using both statistical inference and econometric modelling. Cluster analysis groups countries by structural characteristics; comparative tests then assess how those clusters differ. Econometric models examine the specific relationships between technological diffusion, security infrastructure, and income levels. The paper's main contribution is methodological: it combines statistical and econometric tools that are often used separately. Focusing on digital and institutional variables offers a more concrete lens for understanding systemic economic differences — one that researchers and policymakers can apply across very different country contexts. Key words: GDP per capita, income levels, economic development, structural features, technological diffusion, security infrastructure.