National Competitiveness Research Articles

Globalising innovation through co-inventions–the success case of the Korean lithium-ion battery industry

Radical innovations can shift the global competitiveness of entire nations. While countries typically struggle to absorb knowledge about novel technologies quickly, in which knowledge tends to be spatially sticky, an important exception is the fast catch-up of the Korean Li-ion battery industry from Japan in the early 2000s. In this paper, we conduct an exploratory case study on this surprising success story. Focussing on patent co-inventions between Korea and Japan, we investigate their significance, as well as underlying types of co-inventions and types of transferred knowledge. To this end, we proceed in four steps: (1) a Poisson regression model; (2) social network analyses; (3) patent inventor tracking and (4) patent coding. Our results indicate that Korean–Japanese co-inventions hold significantly greater influence than other cross-country co-inventions, including with patents without cross-country collaboration. We find a pronounced knowledge-transfer intensity during the early 2000s and observe two types of co-inventions: organisation-level and inventor-level. Predominantly, we observe inventor-level co-inventions, i.e. Korean companies hiring experienced Japanese engineers, that proved important to transferring sticky knowledge. Moreover, while most patents target the design of core battery components, the share of manufacturing patents are—contrary to theoretical expectations—highest during the first half of the observation period. We also discuss our findings and draw implications for policy, industrial and academic players, including industry localisation policies, technology-inherent catch-up strategies and directions for future research.

Web Mining of Online Resources for German Labor Market Research and Education: Finding the Ground Truth?

The labor market is highly dependent on vocational and academic education, training, retraining, and further education in order to master challenges such as advancing digitalization and sustainability. Further training is a key factor in ensuring a qualified workforce, the employability of all employees, and, thus, national competitiveness and innovation. In the contribution at hand, we explore an innovative way to derive knowledge about learning pathways by connecting the dots from different data sources of the German labor market. In particular, we focus on the web mining of online resources for German labor market research and education, such as online advertisements, information portals, and official government websites. A key question for working with different data sources is how to find the ground truth and common data structures that can be used to make the data interoperable. We discuss how to classify and summarize web data from different platforms and which methods can be used for extracting data, entities and relationships from online resources on the German labor market to build a network of educational pathways. Our proposed solution is based on the classification of occupations (KldB) and related document codes (DKZ), and combines natural language processing and knowledge graph technologies. Our research provides the foundation for further investigation into educational pathways and linked data for labor market research. While our work focuses on German data, it is also useful for other German-speaking countries and could easily be extended to other languages such as English.

The construction of smart city community environment under the application of animation immersion technology integrated into southern Fujian Folk Culture

ABSTRACT With the rapid development of global information technology, data resources play an increasingly prominent role in society. Countries have issued ‘smart city’ strategic plans one after another, taking the sustainable construction of smart cities as an important means to enhance national competitiveness and seize the commanding heights of the new round of the information technology revolution. This paper selects southern Fujian for experiments to develop modern communication methods in some areas of China that have not undergone smart city upgrades. First, the animation immersion method under smart city technology is taken as the starting point. The folk culture of southern Fujian is integrated to analyze the importance of developing the smart city community under big data. Second, a combined system dynamics model and structural equation modeling are established. It is applied to intelligent, sustainable urban construction to explore the possibility of new development paths. The cities that apply the model proposed here for intelligent, sustainable construction have increased their output value in all aspects within five years. The maximum annual growth rate has reached 17.11%. Planners and designers base the smart city community environment on animation immersion technology. From the perspective of animation immersion planning, integrating the animation immersion technology of southern Fujian folk culture into the sustainable construction and development of the smart city community environment will help enhance the comprehensive competitiveness of the region.

Development and validation of an instrument for measuring civic scientific literacy

Civic scientific literacy (CSL) is a fundamental indicator of social development and national literacy and is very important for personal well-being and national competitiveness. To be in line with the technological advancements and demands of the current era, we focused on “science engagement”, which is now considered an important approach to enhance the CSL of the general public, and developed a 4-dimensional CSL assessment framework based on the crucial elements for citizens to engage in science. The 4 dimensions are scientific knowledge (SK), scientific method (SM), problem-solving (PS), and scientific thought and spirit of science (STSS). With this framework, a CSL measurement instrument including 50 items was developed. Various validity evidence, including evidence with reliability close to or exceeding 0.8 for all four dimensions, supports the use of the instrument to provide a valuation of CSL. Age, location type (urban or rural), educational background, and occupation are all significant factors associated with CSL.

IMPLEMENTATION OF BRIN REGULATION NO 5 OF 2023 AS AGRICULTURAL POLICY TO DEVELOP THE AGRICULTURAL SECTOR IN EAST KUTAI DISTRICT, EAST KALIMANTAN PROVINCE

Regulation of the National Research and Innovation Agency of the Republic of Indonesia (BRIN) Number 5 of 2023 concerning Governance of Research and Innovation in regions, replaces the Joint Regulation of the Minister of Research and Technology, and the Minister of Home Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia No. 3 of 2012 and no. 36 of 2012 concerning Strengthening Regional Innovation Systems. Increasing the productivity of national and regional competitiveness requires increasing innovative capacity and increasing regional competitiveness. The innovation system is an approach to economic development using science and technology that seeks to provide added value. Therefore, it is necessary to know how the BRIN regulations are implemented in East Kutai Regency regarding the development of the agricultural sector. This study was carried out using field survey and interview methods. Agriculture is one of the most strategic economic driving sectors in The existence and implementation of BRIN regulation no. 5 of 2023 can be said to accelerate the advancement of science and technology, especially the agricultural sector. With cooperation, integration, and harmonization of invention and innovation development programs carried out with relevant stakeholders as mandated in BRIN regulation no. 5 of 2023, there will be an acceleration in the preparation of Master Plan documents and Road Maps for the Advancement of Science and Technology, regarding the agricultural sector as economic transformation in the future.

NATIONAL COMPETITIVENESS: ALTERNATIVES TO CONCEPTUALIZATION AND EVALUATION METHODOLOGY

The article presents the results of applying the author's methodology for assessing national competitiveness, based on an analysis of the effectiveness of macroeconomic systems in the operation of nine main growth factors in relation to 91 states in the period from 2003 to 2021. The results obtained demonstrate certain discrepancies with the data of international ratings of national competitiveness; however, they reflect the author’s concept of its assessment, which implies the effectiveness of the marketization of natural, human, and financial capital by macroeconomic systems and not the infrastructural and institutional quality of the latter.

The Republic of Kakao goes on hiatus: The public cost of platform monopolies in South Korea

In the wake of the recent nationwide service outage of Kakao, this article questions the cost that the Korean public may have to bear when private platform monopolies imbue all facets of public lives. Using cultural political economy as both a theoretical framework and a mode of inquiry, it seeks to unravel the ways in which platform monopolies are legitimized and defended by a mix of institutional, regulatory, and discursive forces. Findings reveal that Kakao’s proprietary digital platforms and their services are not only justified by dominant political–economic forces, but also discursively appropriated by themselves and the government for the purposes of driving innovation, elevating national competitiveness, and promoting economic growth, yet at the expense of public scrutiny and accountability. The article concludes by briefly evaluating the implications that these unwelcoming trends have for the Korean public.

The road to national competitiveness is paved with innovation and entrepreneurship: a qualitative comparative analysis

ABSTRACT In the twenty-first century, competitiveness has become a pillar of sustainable development strategies around the world. Numerous international organizations and academics cite innovation and entrepreneurship as determinants of competitiveness. By incorporating innovation and entrepreneurship into the economy and society, countries have been able to implement policies to boost national competitiveness. However, not all countries have been equally successful because each country has its own unique characteristics that apply only within its national borders. An innovation system refers to the innovation institutions, actors, and infrastructures that shape innovation activities within national or regional boundaries. This article identifies the configurations of conditions that lead to high and low levels of national competitiveness. This paper presents the results of fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) with six causal conditions. The results reveal six combinations of factors that increase national competitiveness. R&D, innovation, entrepreneurship support policies, and GDP per capita are crucial elements. In contrast, developed entrepreneurship does not guarantee competitiveness achievement if a country possesses poor R&D and institutional infrastructures. The implications of this study can help resource allocation by supporting the design and implementation of effective innovation and entrepreneurship policies.

Human Capital is the Key to the Successful Competitiveness of Countries in the Asean

Objective: This research aims to look at competitiveness in the Asean region. Knowing the factors driving competitiveness then mapping the strength of competitiveness based on the driving factors for each country in ASEAN. So you will know which countries with high competitiveness are influenced by what factors. The results will be an illustration for other countries in ASEAN to improve these factors with the aim of increasing competitiveness. Method: The method used to determine the factors driving competitiveness is to use panel data regression with the Stata application. Then group them using main factor analysis with SPSS so that country categories are found based on the factors driving their competitiveness. The data used are 12 indicators forming independent and dependent variables. Obtained from various relevant sources. In a period of 10 years, namely 2010 to 2019. Results: The results of multivariate linear regression showed that both simultaneously and partially Human Capital Development (HCD), Human Capital - High Education (HCH), Research and Technology Development (RTD), and Social Capital – Unemployment (SCU) had a significant influence on Competitiveness. HCD has the greatest influence on competitiveness. This research can provide an illustration for each country in ASEAN that the driving factors of competitiveness needed to achieve high competitiveness are HCD and HCH because of their large influence in the regression model. Countries with very strong competitiveness also have very strong HCD and HCH factors and vice versa. This can be a consideration for each country in making policies related to increasing national competitiveness. Because high competitiveness indicates a high level of population welfare.

Research on the Effect of China's Digital Economy on Global Value Chain

It is a fact that as a result of the developing new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, nations all over the world must concentrate on the digital economy if they are to seize new opportunities for development and establish new competitive advantages. Businesses now face possibilities and difficulties as they deal with a new cycle of global value chain reconfiguration. The integration of digital technology has changed how individuals participate in global value chains and how they are geographically organized. As a new economic structure, it can encourage a significant driving force for economic and social progress and is a key factor in altering a nation's competitiveness. Additionally, it dramatically alters the geographical configuration of the value chain's division of labor to facilitate the growth of digitization, services, disintermediation, and manufacturing customization. This paper examines the status of China today, the participation and development of the digital economy, as well as the role and impact of the digital economy on China's global value chain. The study mentioned above is used in this paper to draw conclusions on the uneven development of China's many regions and the lack of adequate data governance, as well as to suggest workable solutions.

Research on the Development of China's High-tech Industry under the Background of Sino-U.S. Trade War

High-tech industry has always occupied an important position in many industries in China. Since the reform and opening up, China's high and new industries have been developing at a rapid pace. However, since the beginning of 2018, there has been a trade war between China and the United States. In the new international situation, China's high-tech industry is facing huge opportunities and challenges, so it is particularly important to study the competitiveness of China's high-tech industry. Through literature analysis, based on micro and macro perspectives, this paper compares the situation of China and the United States in Sino-U.S. trade, and analyzes the Sino-U.S. trade frictions in recent years and the contest between the two countries' national core competitiveness. The focus of this paper is to study how the survival and development of China's high-tech industries are affected under the background of Sino-U.S. trade war.

Doing “more with less”: the entrepreneurialization of Finnish higher education and innovation policy discourses in 2015–2019

ABSTRACT In the past decades, the development of higher education institutions (HEIs) in industrialized countries has become intertwined with innovation policy and the goal of national competitiveness. Focusing on the discourses on innovation by the Ministry of Education and Culture (MEC), this article illustrates the transformation of Finnish higher education policy ideas in the late 2010s following the demise of the previous policy consensus built around the notion of the National Innovation System. Through a critical policy discourse analysis of 35 publications by the MEC, we demonstrate that its recent policy discourses are dominated by an increasingly market-centric strategy of entrepreneurialism in conditions of major cuts to the public funding of universities and R&D. This strategy has serious limitations and contradictions, which have generated institutional conflicts and hinder the development of a more sustainable and balanced innovation agenda for the Finnish higher education field.

Critical Review of Geographic Illiteracy in the United States: A Multifaceted Analysis

This paper explores the concept of geographic illiteracy in general, and specifically in the United States over the last several decades. The researcher sets out by placing geographic literacy concerns and challenges within the context of the broader literacy challenges raised in the United States in the last quarter of the previous century via the 1983 published landmark education report, A Nation At Risk. Geography illiteracy, also called ‘geo-illiteracy’ is demonstrated from reports and statistics comparing geographic achievements internationally among nations in certain cohorts, and the state of geographic education nationally, is examined. The importance of geography education-literacy is highlighted, and the researcher explores several authoritative sources including organizations, scholars, and writers on the subject, and then from an analysis of the extant literature, devises “Five Theses” as to the causes of geographic illiteracy (culture value thesis, curricular thesis, corporate-economic value thesis, and perceptions of geography thesis). The consequences of geographic illiteracy are then examined under “Five Themes” referred to as ‘challenges’ (environmental-sustainability challenge, economic challenge, national competitiveness challenge, threat to national security challenge, and well-being and happiness challenge). Finally, the researcher presents several recommendations for improving geographic literacy across the United States, noting that a public policy effort by the federal and state governments must ultimately be the most viable solution to improving the geographic knowledge and skills of American citizens.

The influence of macroeconomic infrastructure on supply chain smoothness and national competitiveness and its implications on a country's economic growth: evidence from BRICS countries

This study investigates the intricate relationships between macroeconomic infrastructure, supply chain smoothness, national competitiveness, and economic growth within the BRICS nations—Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. This study adopts a quantitative approach with cross-sectional data to examine the interrelationships. The research confirms that macroeconomic infrastructure significantly influences supply chain smoothness and a country's economic growth, underscoring the pivotal role of infrastructure development in enhancing supply chain efficiency and fostering economic expansion. However, rejecting hypotheses regarding the direct impact of supply chain smoothness and national competitiveness on economic growth highlights economic growth dynamics' complex and multifaceted nature within the BRICS context. This study emphasizes the need for nuanced, context-specific strategies to address each BRICS nation's unique challenges and opportunities. Theoretical implications call for a more comprehensive theoretical framework considering the contextual factors influencing economic growth within BRICS countries. Practical implications highlight the importance of strategic infrastructure investments and comprehensive policy approaches that extend beyond isolated factors. Despite its contributions, this study has limitations, including simplifying complex economic relationships and needing more country-specific analyses. Future research should explore broader variables, non-linear relationships, and country-specific nuances to understand economic growth in the BRICS group better.

ИССЛЕДОВАНИЕ СЛОЖНОСТИ ИЗМЕНЕНИЙ В ЭНЕРГЕТИЧЕСКИХ ТЕХНОЛОГИЯХ

Disruptive technologies will bring about revolutionary changes in the energy sector. Energy is linked to national security, overall economic development, and the lives and well-being of people. The rapid development of energy science and technology affects all aspects of human society, and disruptive energy technologies (disruptive technologies), born from the cross-integration of many fields and disciplines, play a particularly prominent role. They have enormous economic potential and have a profound impact on future industrial development, business models and types of work, as well as lifestyles and even national competitiveness.

ТЕХНОЛОГИЧЕСКИЙ ПРОГРЕСС И ИЗМЕНЕНИЯ В МИРОВОЙ ЭКОНОМИКЕ

This article is devoted to the analysis of the impact of technological progress on the global economy. Examines key aspects of changes brought about by technological development, including the impact on production, labor markets, innovation and national competitiveness. The article offers an easy to understand and overview of the main trends in this area.

Analysis of the countries’ business attraction with the ELECTRE-III method

Attracting foreign investment is essential for the competitiveness and prosperity of nations. When deciding where to invest, an investor may be interested in considering specific criteria for investing or doing business and preferences for those criteria. In the same way, when evaluating the situation of a country to attract investment, consider different aspects to determine its ease of doing business. The MultiCriteria Decision-Making (MCDM) methodology is suitable for evaluating nations according to their ease of doing business due to the multifactorial elements of each nation. This work applied the ELECTRE-III method; it evaluated 190 nations based on the decision-maker?s preferences, giving different importance to the ten criteria considered in the World Bank?s Doing Business 2020 study. The results with this methodology show better-positioned nations in the ranking compared to the report presented by the World Bank Group.

ВАЛОВИЙ ВНУТРІШНІЙ ПРОДУКТ ЯК ІНДИКАТОР РІВНЯ ЕКОНОМІЧНОГО РОЗВИТКУ КРАЇНИ (НА ПРИКЛАДІ ЧЕСЬКОЇ РЕСПУБЛІКИ)

The article addresses the current issue of researching and analyzing Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as an indicator of national economic competitiveness on a global scale and its impact on the macroeconomic stability of the Czech Republic. The authors emphasize the importance of GDP analysis for effective economic management, planning, forecasting, and ensuring macroeconomic stability. The study is based on a review of previous research and publications by both Ukrainian and foreign scholars. As a result, the concept of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is thoroughly analyzed, with three main aspects of the concept elucidated: "gross," "domestic," and "product." Furthermore, the article provides crucial explanations to enhance comprehension of the GDP concept. Moreover, the article extensively analyzes the dynamics of nominal and real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the Czech Republic from 2016 to 2022. Special attention is given to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Czech economy and its adverse effects in 2020. The causes of GDP decline are highlighted, along with data on economic recovery at the end of 2020 and an assessment of GDP dynamics in 2021 and 2022. The significance of evaluating GDP growth rates and their potential implications for the Czech economy are underscored, as well as the importance of GDP per capita as an indicator of Czech economic competitiveness and the country's position in the GDP per capita ranking. Additionally, the article examines the impact of declining household consumption on Czech GDP due to inflation and low investments. The methodology of correlation-regression analysis is employed to identify trends in GDP dynamics, along with projected GDP values for 2024 and 2025. It is noted that the main drivers of Czech economic growth should be the export activities of companies and the recovery of household demand. However, further research is needed to explore the analysis of GDP dynamics as an indicator of macroeconomic stability, its impact on forming global competitiveness rankings, and positioning the Czech Republic in the global economic community.

The economy of Tuscany in the post Covid-19 era: struggling with energy crisis and inflation. What to do to resume the journey?<sup>1</sup>

<abstract> <p>The Covid-19 pandemic has wrought significant challenges on both national and regional economic systems, resulting in an exacerbation of poverty and a deceleration of economic growth. These repercussions have led to increased social tensions and discontent.</p> <p>Tuscany a key player in the Italian and European economies, warrants scrutiny concerning its economic structure post-pandemic, particularly in relation to the role played by industry districts and the ways for it to get out of the crisis and get back on track.</p> <p>This paper undertakes an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the Tuscan economy, with a focus on EMAS-APO industry districts. It examines the region's standing in terms of national and European ERCI competitiveness, placing it at an average level. Additionally, the region ranks in the third decile of the DESI digitalization, indicating a commendable technological dynamism. An equally satisfying spending power in R&D, in percentage of GDP higher than the national one, and ranking 6<sup>th</sup> in the regions' rank, is flanked by a particularly vigorous innovation capacity of the production sector.</p> <p>Employing a symmetric branch-by-branch SAM 2019 analysis, derived from a sector-by-product 2014 SAM constructed by IRPET, serves as the foundational step in understanding the interventions and investments necessary for resuming growth.</p> <p>While affirming Tuscany's competitiveness, digitalization and technological dynamism, the analysis underscores the pivotal role of manufacturing. Notably, the textile, fashion and leather sectors hold significant weight, along with the slightly less impactful paper and pharmaceutical sectors, and the noteworthy role of tourism. The region emerges as innovative, competitive and export-oriented, albeit with certain sectors grappling with environmental challenges.</p> <p>The IMM based analysis reveals a satisfactory average integration degree of the production system, suggesting that, for an effective, robust and sustainable post-Covid recovery and economic resurgence, focused investments and demand stimulus policy should be directed towards the textile, fashion and leather industries. Additionally, there is a strong indication to channel investments into pharmaceuticals and health care, and on transportation (especially freight transportation), as well as wholesale and retail trade. While weaker, there is a notable suggestion to invest in metallurgy, computer hardware, tourism and paper industries.</p> </abstract>

АНАЛІЗ ДЕРЖАВНИХ СТИМУЛІВ ДЛЯ ЗАЛУЧЕННЯ ІНВЕСТИЦІЙ У ЦИФРОВУ ЕКОНОМІКУ

The article is devoted to the substantiation of the theoretical foundations and the development of practical recommendations regarding the study of the influence of state incentives on the attraction of investments in the digital economy. It was revealed that digital transformation requires a combination of infrastructure and investments. Given the definition of the concept of “incentive” as a reason or inducement that encourages parties to certain behavior or certain actions, currently in the legal context incentives are created through laws, regulations, financial subsidies or tax levers. It is noted that state incentives are used as tools to encourage desired behavior and achieve state policy goals. Systematized state incentives for attracting investments in the digital economy: state digitalization programs; withdrawal of digitalization investments from the tax base of companies; preferential tax rates and “tax holidays” (VAT, PnPP, personal income tax, EUV); preferential loans and grants; accelerated depreciation of fixed assets; exemption from payment of fees for infrastructure, real estate and land rent; innovative export insurance; public procurement of digital innovations. The analysis of state incentives for attracting investments in the digital economy of countries such as the USA, Great Britain, Luxembourg and Germany was carried out. For example, in the US – federal grant funding to support digital inclusion programs in states and territories. The UK encourages venture capital investment through schemes such as enterprise investment (EIS), investment in start-up enterprises (SEIS). Tax incentives for investments are widespread in Luxembourg. In Germany, the most common incentive is State programs aimed at influencing the investment behavior of businesses for the purpose of economic development. It has been determined that national digital competitiveness is the result of investment in education and the provision of the skills required by the labor market. According to the annual Aggregate Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) for EU member states, Finland, Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden are the most digitized, and the Top 10 in the IMD World Digital Competitiveness Ranking are occupied by such countries as: the USA, the Netherlands, Singapore, Denmark, Switzerland, Republic of Korea, Sweden, Finland, Taiwan (Chinese Taipei), Hong Kong SAR. Tools for stimulating investment activity and measures for the implementation of appropriate incentives for the digitalization of the economy in Ukraine are disclosed.