Country's International Competitiveness Research Articles

An Examination on the Support of Library Information to the Construction of National Research Organizations

The country's economic development determines the political and cultural status. At the present time, China's rapid economic development has greatly improved the country’s international prominence. Although China has high economic and political achievements, China's cultural soft power is still in a weak position. Cultural soft power is of great significance in improving the country's overall national strength and international competitiveness. Research organizations are an important part of the country's soft power and are of great significance to the strengthening of national soft power. Research organizations are the “peripheral brain” in the decision-making process of the government. National government agencies need democratic science in making decisions, and the adopted policy methods must have positive and effective outcomes on the people. Therefore, the national government agencies cannot achieve this without the help of research organizations. This resulted in the development and rising construction of research organizations. With the comprehensive development and construction of research organizations, whilst making progress, has also exposed several shortcomings. The construction of China’s research organizations requires various supports; especially the intelligence agencies and access to library information, which has a unique advantage in promoting the construction of research organizations [1]. This paper first introduces the definition, classification and characteristics of a research organization. It will also provide a preliminary understanding of research organizations. The paper will then highlight and analyze the problems encountered by the research organization. Finally, through the grasp of the advantages of the library and intelligence agencies, a solution is proposed.

Green innovation and green Imports:Links between environmental policies, innovation, and production

This paper addresses the claim that environmental policies stimulate domestic economies. The claim is parsed into two sequential parts: the effect of policies on innovation and the effect of that innovation on resulting manufacturing production. Each of these activities -- innovation and manufacturing -- can either take place at home or abroad, and where they take place determines the consequences for the domestic economy. The empirical evidence is based on measures of policy, patent activity, and trade in the renewable energy sector of 31 OECD countries between 1988 and 2003. The results from regression analysis suggest that renewable energy policies have had some success in stimulating domestic economies. While renewable energy policies are associated with little domestic innovation outside of Germany, Japan, and the United States, they do boost the adoption of foreign technologies overall. In turn, when patenting occurs the results detect an increase in manufacturing production of renewable energy technologies as well as a rise of the country's international competitiveness through exports.

THE INFLUENCE OF GLOBAL INTELLECTUALIZATION ON HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

In the context of the global intellectualization, human capital is the determining factor in the innovation development and the international competitiveness of countries. In the XXI century. the leading component of human capital are qualitatively new information, communication and network technologies. Particular importance are education and training, professionalism, high level of human resources management, building up, reproduction and human capital development. These factors are the prerequisite for the growth of the competitive advantages of the country in the conditions of globalization.

Comprehensive scientific and technical programs as a vector of education development in the digital economy

New global challenges in the development of the economy, and as a result, in education, have led to changes in the requirements for forms and methods of teaching, for the content of educational programs, which requires the involvement of a wider range of practitioners and the adaptation of education to the standards of the digital economy. Under the influence of globalization processes, both the nature of the international competitiveness of countries and the nature of competitive advantages are changing, focusing on human capital, new forms of management, digital information. The vector of development of education is integrated scientific and technical programs that unite educational and scientific organizations with enterprises of the real sector. To this end, on the basis of higher education institutions, whose main goal is to provide professional personnel for the territory, scientific education centres are created that contribute to the introduction of an innovative approach to solving socio-economic problems of the region, provide comprehensive support for innovative initiatives of entrepreneurs and organizations, and methodological and consulting support for subjects small and medium businesses on the development of innovative entrepreneurial projects.

Australian wine industry competitiveness: why so slow to emerge?

Despite favourable growing conditions, Australia's production or exports of wine did not become significant until the 1890s. Both grew in the 1920s, but only because of government support. Once that support was removed in the late 1940s, production plateaued and exports diminished: only two per cent of wine production was exported during 1975–1985. Yet over the next two decades, Australia's wine production quadrupled and the share exported rose to two‐thirds – before falling somewhat in the next 10 years. This paper explains why it took so long for Australia's production and competitive advantage in wine to emerge, why it took off spectacularly after the mid‐1980s and why it fell in the 10 years to 2016. It concludes that despite the recent downturn in the industry's fortunes, the country's international competitiveness is now firmly established and commensurate with its ideal wine‐growing climate, notwithstanding the likelihood of further boom‐slump cycles in the decades ahead.

European Integration in the Age of Narcissism: An Approach of the Greek Economic Crisis

Abstract European Union's (EU) enlargement has two principal impacts towards the new Member-states (M-S) socioeconomic system: economic and social (including cultural) integration. Economic integration is based upon an economic arrangement between different regions, regarding the elimination of trade barriers and the coordination of monetary and fiscal policies. However, the participation of Greece in the Economic and Monetary Union and the adoption of the Euro (€) as national currency, restricted country's international competitiveness. Despite the income increase, which rose from € 5,500 (1991) to € 17,745 (2008 before the economic crisis) thanks to the Greek accession to the EEC in 1981, the production system could not take advantage of the new conditions, due to its inability to resolve its vast structural and systemic weaknesses. The Greek society had a strictly short term view depending on the exploitation of the EU capital inflows, and the economic growth did not contribute either to growth in productivity or competitiveness for the country. Apart from economic integration, Greece also experienced intensely a social integration, which led to the differentiation in attitude for a large majority of Greeks. The rise of standards of living as well as the trend towards modernization, which characterize the Greek European integration, instead of reflecting a convergence, it is mostly characterized by a cultural imperialism, which is based on the idea of the poor countries of the European periphery imitating the rich of the center. However, the imitation of the western European consumption patterns could not be self-supported due to the lack of wealth, which led to borrowing and finally to the phenomenon of the over-indebted households. The country was introduced in an era of narcissism, which led to a collateral drawback, the downgrade of its social capital.

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Russian Abstract: В мировой практике инструменты таможенно-тарифного и нетарифного регулирования широко используются для достижения целей социально-экономического развития – повышения конкурентоспособности отечественных производств, увеличения создаваемой на территории страны добавленной стоимости, защиты формирующихся и/или чувствительных отраслей и производств от чрезмерной импортной конкуренции (как добросовестной, так и недобросовестной), привлечения в национальную экономику современного оборудования, технологий и ноу-хау, создания условий для переноса на территорию страны высокотехнологичных, наукоемких видов деятельности с участием ТНК, повышения интенсивности участия местных производств в глобальных цепочках приращения стоимости, др. Фискальные функции таможенного тарифа и иных инструментов внешнеторгового регулирования в настоящее время не имеют существенного значения, за исключением ограниченной группы стран, применяющих экспортные пошлины.English Abstract: In world practice, tools, customs, tariff, and non-tariff regulation are widely used to achieve the objectives of social and economic development - improving the competitiveness of domestic production, increase produced in the country added value, protection of emerging and/or sensitive sectors and industries from excessive import competition (both fair and unfair), engaging in the national economy of advanced equipment, technology and know-how to create conditions for the transfer to the territory of high-tech, knowledge-intensive activities with the participation of TNCs, increasing the intensity of the participation of local enterprises in global value chains, etc. The fiscal functions of customs tariff and other instruments of foreign trade regulation does not make a significant impact currently, except for a limited group of countries applying export duties.

Relative Impacts of Quantitative and Qualitative Indicators of International Competitiveness

Relative Impacts of Quantitative and Qualitative Indicators of International Competitiveness Fidel Ezeala-Harrison Abstract This paper provides an analysis of the relative impacts of quantitative (micro-level) and qualitative (macro-level) factors that determine a country’s international competitiveness. Utilizing a total factor productivity approach that depicts competitiveness as the relative ability of a country’s industries to make efficient use of their resources to produce and market products at globally competitive prices, the study classifies the determining parameters of competitiveness in terms of the two categories of quantitative and qualitative factors. It then applies data from a sample of five U.S. manufacturing industries to carry out an empirical analysis to verify the relative impacts of these two categories of competitiveness indicators on the country’s state of international competitiveness. The results are useful for a determination of relevant policy parameters that would be helpful for stabilizing a country's long-term international competitiveness in an increasingly competitive global economy. Full Text: PDF DOI: 10.15640/jibe.v2n4a1

The International Competitiveness of Countries: Economic-Mathematical Approach

This paper pursues three main objectives: (i) to review the existing theoretical approaches towards the phenomenon and definition of as an economic category; (ii) to analyze factors affecting the level of national competitiveness, and (iii) to define clusters of countries according to the level of their relative national competitiveness. The main focus is to identify the most appropriate definition of national competitiveness, to use a mathematical approach to test the main hypothesis (H1: there is high correlation between the competitiveness level and the list of factors that can potentially increase/decrease competitive advantages of a state). Data of Ukraine and 29 states that clustered to the same (II) stage of development according the Global Competitiveness Index 2004-2012 are taken for the research. The applied cluster analysis helped to solve the challenge of statistical research of national competitiveness as classifying of countries (data set of 36 states, 2004-2012 years) according to their competitiveness, taking into account national peculiarities. As well cluster analysis lets to test assumptions that there is an existence of some structure in the sample of countries.

Trade and Productivity: The Family Connection Redux

We investigate the effects of demographic change and human capital accumulation on trade and productivity of domestic firms. In so doing we integrate a micro-founded education and fertility decision of households into a model of international trade with firm heterogeneity. Our framework leads to four testable implications: i) the export share of a country increases in the education level of its population, ii) the export share of a country decreases in the birth rate of its population, iii) the average profitability of firms increases in the education level of a country, iv) the average profitability of firms decreases in the birth rate of a country. We find that all four implications are supported by empirical evidence for a panel of OECD countries from 1960 to 2010. Our results suggest that investments in human capital accumulation, especially in higher education, are an important determinant of a country’s international competitiveness. Furthermore, falling birth rates need not be a serious concern with respect to productivity and international competitiveness of countries.

Short run stabilization and long run competitiveness: the Latvian case

Subject area Macroeconomics: fixed exchange rate regime, external and internal devaluation, international competitiveness, comparison to ongoing eurozone periphery problems. Study level/applicability The main audience for this case is undergraduate students in economics and business or graduate students in business or political science related studies. More particularly, the case suits a class on applied macroeconomics or general economic policy. Case overview The case investigates economic development in Latvia since it gained independence, the key focus is overheating in 2004-2007 and consequential extraordinary economic crisis of 2008-2009. This case gives a great starting point to discuss ongoing problems in peripheral eurozone (PIGS) in terms of internal versus external devaluation. Expected learning outcomes Students are expected to learn the differences between external and internal devaluation as well as a country's international competitiveness factors. Also, class discussion of similarities and differences between Latvia and PIGS should make students more aware of two types of devaluation. Supplementary learning materials Teaching notes are available. Please consult your librarian for access.

TARPTAUTINIS KONKURENCINGUMAS IR JĮ LEMIANTYS VEIKSNIAI EKONOMIKOS NUOSMUKIO LAIKOTARPIU

The paper analyzes the international competitiveness of the multi-dimensional and quite complex phenomenon, his concept of relevance. In many countries, most of the export share of manufacturing output is, therefore, the competitiveness of the industries have a decisive impact on the country's international competitiveness. The analysis of the international competitiveness of the country in scientific publications, the number of factors which lead to some kind of international competitiveness of the country's climate. Key factors determining the competitiveness of human capital, patents, high technology, research and development of innovation through the development, determining the progress of society. Development of the economy is cyclical upturn replace declines, and vice versa, there is a debate in the scientific literature on the impact of the Government of the country's economic development. Because of this contradiction is more than one hundred ongoing scientific debate remains relevant today. According to scientific studies suggest that these countries have more resources to the development of innovative economy is more stable than in other countries that this activity is funding less.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.em.17.2.2188

National Innovation Systems: The Cases of Singapore and Finland

In an increasingly borderless world, a good deal of interest is still devoted to the performance of countries. The attention paid to various measures of international competitiveness of countries is a witness to this. According to conventional wisdom, countries can gain through engaging themselves in the international division of labour, specialising in goods they can produce relatively cheaply. While this is still part of the truth, it is today of course too narrow a view. Although much international exchange is still based on traditional comparative advantages - which emanate from different relative endowments of factors of production - the relative success of nations in terms of sustainable growth is increasingly dependent on competitive advantage based on their ability to innovate. This implies much more than just coming up with new technologies, products or production processes. There must also be capability to utilize and commercialize them. Thus, management and marketing knowledge must be there, as well as suitable financial channels. It may even be maintained that ability to adapt existing technical knowhow to new applications and to take it all the way to marketable products is at least as important as technical progress in itself. However, even this may not suffice. There also has to be an entrepreneurial drive that contributes the dynamism required.

Unit Values, Productivity, and Trade - Determinants of Spanish Export Strength

In this paper we assess the current relevance of different sources of international competitiveness. Relative prices, labor costs, and productivity are evaluated as determinants of a country's international competitiveness at the industry level. Working with detailed data on unit values and with industry data on productivity, we empirically implement a MacDougall-type model for Spanish and French trade to Brazil, China, Japan, and the U.S. The period under study is 1980 to 2001 and we distinguish in our analysis between homogenous, reference-priced, and differentiated goods. Our results indicate that cost competitiveness factors are only valid for explaining trade with developing countries while other factors are of importance for developed economies. Overall price competitiveness is of importance, but for differentiated goods, factors distinct from prices seem to determine export success.

China's International Competitiveness: Reassessing the Evidence

In this paper we argue that export data are an inadequate tool to measure a country's international competitiveness when external trade is dominated by export-processing trade. Export data de not necessarily reflect the value produced in an exporting country, but rather capture the gross value of the products that leave a country's ports. We demonstrate that, in the case of China, this leads to an upward bias in both the perceived quantitative and qualitative threats to the Western economies.

Incorporating labour standards in trade agreements: protectionist ploy or legitimate trade policy issue?

The relationship between labour standards in developing countries and trade flows has become a major trade policy issue with efforts in some developed countries to have labour standards provisions included in multilateral and regional trade agreements. This has been fiercely resisted by developing countries. Central to the argument is the degree to which low or poorly enforced labour standards affect comparative advantage. This paper finds limited evidence that only some labour standards – degree of unionisation and forced labour – have a small impact on a country's international competitiveness. Given this result, the question of how to include labour standards in international agreements is discussed.

Cross‐benchmarking international competitiveness and performance in human language technologies

PurposeCompetitive success as a nation requires balancing commercial innovativeness and social welfare, which results in a sound basis for socio‐economic development. All potential resources – including entrepreneurial activity and innovations – can be utilized as promoters of competitiveness and welfare. Thus, useful lessons for general national competitiveness can be learned from benchmarking individual innovations and perhaps even more so, from those less glamorized technologies such as human language technologies (HLT). Finnish researchers are considered to be at the leading edge of developments in a number of ICT fields. The main responsibility for the utilization of knowledge is seen, necessarily, to rest with the public sector, while the legislative framework is considered to favour entrepreneurship and innovation. Aims to discuss the issues.Design/methodology/approachNational competitiveness and HLT benchmarking pose a number of interesting questions and issues both macro and micro levels. For example: the extent to which benchmark performance in HLT is consistent with national competitiveness; link between robustness of research effort in any particular language community and effectiveness of technology transfer to market; and fostering and funding of entrepreneurial activity in HLT in the successful (benchmarked) countries and the fit with national vision and innovation policy. For the first two areas, relationships between HLT benchmark and comparative national competitiveness of top countries are examined through comparison of their respective primitive dimensions. Data sources include official and quasi‐official public documents. The final stage is explored using a case study approach and comparative assessment against extant entrepreneurship literature.FindingsThere appears to be no direct link between robustness of the HLT research effort in any particular language community and actual effectiveness of technology transfer to market. None the less, success in the Finnish HLT benchmark appears to correlate with the country's international competitiveness standing and “social innovation policy” paradigm. Its knowledge society model has clearly resulted in a sound basis for its socio‐economic development, where all potential resources – including its entrepreneurial base – and innovations, can be utilized as promoters of competitiveness and welfare. Within this entrepreneurial base, HLT SMEs tend to seek scale economies through internationalise at the early stages of development.Originality/valueThe paper shows that Finland is well placed to meet the challenges and to capitalise on the economic and social opportunities, given its strength in ICT/HLT innovation policy country's open self‐criticism of the latter.

Exchange rate volatility and agricultural trade under policy reforms in South Africa

Decades of government intervention have helped develop the South African agriculture sector to its present state. Policy reforms have included trade and exchange rate policies to increase the country's international competitiveness, reduce poverty and promote economic growth. These reforms are facilitating the growth in agricultural trade and South Africa's reintegration into the global economy. Annual agricultural exports and imports have increased. This paper uses annual data and a vector error-correction model to investigate the supply and demand relationships for agricultural trade flows in South Africa during the past four decades. The results show that prices, real exchange rates, domestic production capacity and real incomes have significant impacts on the country's agricultural trade. In particular, exchange rate volatility has negative impacts. This cannot be viewed solely as an exogenous source of macroeconomic instability in South Africa, as domestic policies play a crucial role in influencing the movement of exchange rates.

Strangers in a strange land: citizenship and the immigration debate in Lesotho

Lesotho, a small sovereign country located within the borders of the Republic of South Africa, displays a paradox as regards immigration. It lacks the attributes of a typical receiving country, but it has been attractive to immigrants, especially from those countries in sub-Saharan Africa which are not members of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Lesotho's attraction to immigrants is explained largely by its ability to offer better remuneration for skilled workers than many non-SADC sub-Saharan African countries, and by its strategic location as an easy transit gate into South Africa, widely perceived as the ‘Europe’ of the continent. However, the influx of immigrants into Lesotho has generated a wave of anti-foreigner feelings among sections of the population and heightened the debate about the relevance of foreigners to national development. The paper reiterates the principal conventional arguments against immigration: that it compromises jobs, raises crime rates, intensifies the spread of diseases, undermines the homogeneity of the state and nation and exerts additional strain on the country's already overstretched resources. Demonstrating the limits of these arguments, the paper argues that for Lesotho, grappling with unemployment and manpower shortages, immigration is an asset rather than a liability because it creates jobs, brings in skills that are otherwise in short supply and raises the country's international profile and competitiveness.

New Economy, New Pedagogy?

In England, the government wishes to integrate education into the economy. In this endeavour it has continued the previous Conservative government's stance on retaining direct, whole-class teaching in primary schools. It has retained the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted). Standards of achievement in numeracy and literacy have increased. The country's international competitiveness is assumed to have been enhanced. But questions are being raised about this approach, mainly in government departments other than the Department for Education and Skills, notably in the Department for Media, Culture and Sport and in the Department for Industry. Their concerns can be put plainly: the Ofsted-endorsed traditional pedagogy will not well serve an emerging knowledge-based economy wherein creativity is at a premium. For its part, the government is ambivalent, seemingly reluctant to loosen its pedagogical grip on primary education, yet beginning to realise that pedagogical change is needed. Its reluctance seems not to turn on the lack of an academic basis for a new pedagogy, but on the financial implications of introducing a more progressive pedagogy which would require higher teacher-pupil ratios, and on the political risks of endorsing a more 'radical' pedagogy. The analysis is set within the context of economic globalisation and postmodern culture.