Global Economic Competitiveness Research Articles

Behind the Huawei sanction: national security, ideological prejudices or something else?

Digital supremacy is fundamental to national security and global economic competitiveness. An imperative of protecting critical information infrastructure (CII) is the theoretical basis for cybersecurity policies. The cyber competition has the potential to reshape global tech supply chains and international economic governance. The winner will make standards and rules that can take the most advantage of a first mover. The assumption that governments across jurisdictions embrace similar policies, regardless of their ideologies, is not a paradoxical proposition any more in the time of globalisation 2.0. Both the US and China use law enforcement power to advance their national strategic interests. The imposition of sanctions against Huawei is an epitome of the current US–China cyber competition game far beyond the mere economic scenario. This study seeks to explore whether the unilateral approaches would be well justified in a new normal of the decoupling era and how to establish a viable global cyber governance regime.

Forecasting the Future: The Interplay of Artificial Intelligence, Innovation, and Competitiveness and its Effect on the Global Economy

The study investigates the profound impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on various facets of the global economic landscape. Against a backdrop of rapid technological advancements, the study draws on the context of the pivotal IMF report highlighting the transformative potential of AI. The report suggests that AI could modify, replace, or transform about 60% of jobs in advanced economies and a significant proportion in emerging and low-income countries, reflecting a global paradigm shift in employment and economic structures. The core objective of this study is to thoroughly examine the role of AI-driven innovation in organizational competitiveness, its impact on community development and socioeconomic dynamics, and its implications on national economic policies and global economic trends. A quantitative research methodology was employed, involving a structured survey targeting a diverse group of professionals in various industries. The survey was meticulously designed to capture insights into participants' experiences and perceptions regarding AI implementation and its impacts. A total of 642 valid responses from consultants, technology enthusiasts, industry experts, and policymakers provided a robust dataset for analyzing the study's four hypotheses. The research findings reveal that AI integration significantly bolsters organizational competitiveness, echoing the insights from contemporary literature. Higher levels of AI adoption in communities are linked to improved socioeconomic outcomes, albeit with the risk of intensifying existing inequalities. On a national scale, strategies focusing on AI and innovation correlate with enhanced global economic competitiveness. Furthermore, the integration of AI in business processes markedly influences workforce dynamics, necessitating shifts in skill requirements and job roles. In light of these findings, the paper recommends strategic AI integration within businesses, equitable policy frameworks for AI deployment, a focus on AI in national economic strategies, substantial investment in workforce training, and international collaboration in AI development and ethics are imperative for maximizingAI's benefits while mitigating potential risks.

European artificial intelligence “trusted throughout the world”: Risk‐based regulation and the fashioning of a competitive common AI market

AbstractThe European Commission has pioneered the coercive regulation of artificial intelligence (AI), including a proposal of banning some applications altogether on moral grounds. Core to its regulatory strategy is a nominally “risk‐based” approach with interventions that are proportionate to risk levels. Yet, neither standard accounts of risk‐based regulation as rational problem‐solving endeavor nor theories of organizational legitimacy‐seeking, both prominently discussed in Regulation & Governance, fully explain the Commission's attraction to the risk heuristic. This article responds to this impasse with three contributions. First, it enrichens risk‐based regulation scholarship—beyond AI—with a firm foundation in constructivist and critical political economy accounts of emerging tech regulation to capture the performative politics of defining and enacting risk vis‐à‐vis global economic competitiveness. Second, it conceptualizes the role of risk analysis within a Cultural Political Economy framework: as a powerful epistemic tool for the discursive and regulatory differentiation of an uncertain regulatory terrain (semiosis and structuration) which the Commission wields in its pursuit of a future common European AI market. Thirdly, the paper offers an in‐depth empirical reconstruction of the Commission's risk‐based semiosis and structuration in AI regulation through qualitative analysis of a substantive sample of documents and expert interviews. This finds that the Commission's use of risk analysis, outlawing some AI uses as matters of deep value conflicts and tightly controlling (at least discursively) so‐called high‐risk AI systems, enables Brussels to fashion its desired trademark of European “cutting‐edge AI … trusted throughout the world” in the first place.

Nigerian Maritime

Abstract Maritime industry clustering has in recent years gained attention as a tool for strategic global and regional economic competitiveness policies, owing to their co-location synergies and agglomeration economies. The Nigerian maritime sector is known to have a large industry, which comprises shipping and logistics firms, shipyards, ship consultants and a suite of other firms, institutions and associations with maritime functions. However, nothing is known about the structural characteristics and environmental dynamics of this significant cluster. This article, capitalising on a critical and meta-analytic review of studies and conceptual modelling, explores for the first time the Nigerian maritime industry from a cluster perspective, underpinned by the foundational competitiveness of Nigerian microeconomic performance. It further evaluates broadly the quality of the Nigerian business environment, highlighting the challenges and opportunities for strategic foresight in decision-making. Targeted recommendations predicated on cluster-specific characteristics are provided to improve cluster competitiveness.

Methodological Approaches to Assessing the Socio-Economic Development of Transnational Corporations Based on Russian Policy Priorities

Transnational corporations (TNCs) are one of the most important actors in both the international and national economies, particularly in the Russian Federation. This paper examines how socio-economic internationalization is realized by increasing the development of transnational corporations, the significance of the role played by transnational corporations in the current economic turmoil in the face of sanctions to ensure sustainable economic growth in the economy and boost global economic competitiveness. The challenge lies in figuring out the proper involvement of TNCs in the national environment, along with the possible risks and benefits for specific economies and other stakeholders. These initiatives should contribute to sustainable socio-economic development and a better quality of life in the current state of the Russian economy. Transnational corporations (TNCs) are one of the driving forces behind the internationalization of international production, the liberalization of international trade, and, ultimately, the development of the national economy. As the scientific and technological revolution progresses, TNCs are becoming one of the most important and dominant phenomena, respectively, and the subjects of the current fundamental economic processes.

Power, Politics and Children’s Citizenship: The Silencing of Civil Society

Abstract Children remain marginalised in theoretical analyses of citizenship and political rights, with their partial citizenship status attracting minimal attention. We consider the ontological need for political engagement, children’s political agency and intergenerational justice. We discuss how Derrida’s hospitality concept may inform analyses of power structures that serve to exclude children from the demos. We then examine the case of Japan where education law neglects children’s political rights, though respect for human rights and popular sovereignty are core constitutional values. Analysis of parliamentary debates addressing Article 12 and children’s right to be heard and organise collectively reveals a long-standing ideological divide concerning children’s political participation. The Committee on the Rights of the Child has explained Japan’s reluctance to implement Article 12 as reflecting “traditional” attitudes. The reality is more complex. From the late 1950s, Japan experienced a wave of student-led protests, focusing on the US-Japan Anpo Security Treaty. Subsequently, the Japanese government prioritised public order over students’ political rights, and global economic competitiveness over citizenship rights. Article 12 remains a site of struggle between those wishing to extend children’s citizenship rights and those who wish to maintain their partial citizenship, fearing social unrest and a focus away from global economic competitiveness.

“Teaching students like me:” Bilingual authorization candidates, motivations, and California’s bilingual education renaissance

ABSTRACT Emerging from nearly two decades of language suppression wrought by Proposition 227, a Bilingual Education Renaissance is underway in California as new programs proliferate at a much faster clip than the state can produce certified bilingual teachers. California’s policy shift is built upon an officially stated view of bilingualism as a resource beneficial for student academic success and global economic competitiveness. While the stated goals of public policy are clear, less known is what motivates educators aspiring to serve these new programs and how these individuals have been personally affected by the language restrictions of Proposition 227. Through analysis of surveys and autobiographical writing collected from bilingual authorization candidates in Central California, we explore the motivations of these budding bilingual educators, compare and contrast these motivations to those of state policy, and examine in autobiographical detail their ethnolinguistic experiences. We find that bilingual certification candidates – in contrast to the explicit economic considerations of the state–are overwhelmingly driven by a sense of advocacy and personal identification with the ethnolinguistic experiences and struggles of emergent bilingual students. We discuss implications for public policy, candidate recruitment, and the design of program content that is supportive and leveraging of candidate ethnolinguistic experiences and assets.

Research on the Coordinated Development of Global Urban Economic Competitiveness: Based on a Sample of 1007 Cities

Based on the global urban economic competitiveness data in 2017, this study conducts coupling analyses of the competitiveness indicator system. The comprehensive study on the coupling coordination degree among explanatory indexes of urban economic competitiveness concludes that the city with higher economic competitiveness rankings has a higher degree of coupling coordination (DCC); the city ranked lower in the economic competitiveness has a lower DCC. The cities with higher DCC are mainly those global cities or metropolis known for financial and technological innovations, while cities with bare coupling coordination are mainly in underdeveloped countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Based on the findings, the paper employs a model that combines linear regression and quantile regression to identify the specific driving factors that affect the cities’ competitiveness around the world. Therefore, every city should act according to local conditions, focus on the key drivers of urban development, and address the inadequacies to balance the economic development so as to enhance its competitiveness.

Contextualization of critical thinking in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic integrative review

Cultural norms affect the efficacy of critical thinking instruction. In several sub-Saharan African countries, governments have publicly declared critical thinking skills to be a major educational priority to increase global economic competitiveness. However, many schools and education systems have not taken action to translate the stated government policies into revised curricula, pedagogies and assessment frameworks. Faced with these challenges, the overall objective of the study is to analyse, by means of an integrative systematic review, how the concept, implementation and assessment of critical thinking has been contextualized in sub-Saharan Africa. Of the 51 documents that met the inclusion criteria, a total of 5 categories, 95 codes, and 1,075 quotes were analysed. The findings highlight that researchers and practitioners apply western concepts of critical thinking to the sub-Saharan context without questioning its actual transferability. Moreover, the analysis shows that there is a lack of familiarity with adaptation strategies of assessment tools and teaching methods in sub-Saharan Africa.

Language and education policies in Southeast Asia: reorienting towards multilingualism-as-resource

ABSTRACT Over the past few decades, many Southeast Asian governments have promoted English language education (hereafter ELE) as a linguistic pathway for developing human capital and improving global economic competitiveness of their nations. However, Kirkpatrick (2017. Language education policy among the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN). European Journal of Language Policy, 9(1), 7–25. https://doi.org/10.3828/ejlp.2017.2) raises a valid concern that if the current language education policy of teaching only the national language plus English is retained in Southeast Asian polities, future multilinguals in the region will likely be transformed into bilinguals with proficiency in the national language and English. While instrumentalist discourses have shaped ELE policy in the region, the current status of English has also been facilitated, to a large extent, by a set of common ELE ‘fallacies’ [Phillipson (1992). Linguistic imperialism. Oxford University Press]. This paper seeks to firstly address the ideological fallacies of ELE that underlie the pursuit of English. We then call for a reorientation towards viewing multilingualism-as-resource(s), and propose a ‘Na/ver/in’ multilingual model for Southeast Asian primary education. This model seeks to promote the combined use of the (na)tional language, (ver)nacular language(s)/regional lingua franca and (in)ternational language for primary education. We further argue that the way forward is a more balanced, inclusive, socially equitable and ethical approach to language policy and planning, informing the Naverin model.

The Role of STEM Program Directors in Broadening the Impact of STEM Interventions

STEM transformation has been a longstanding goal for higher education institutions who not only wish to maintain global economic competitiveness but most recently have also aimed efforts at achieving STEM equity. While researchers have typically looked to students’ and faculty’s experiences for answers, STEM program directors possess great insight from working closely with students in both faculty and administrative roles. This study explores the views of 45 STEM program directors at 10 institutions across the U.S. that had high STEM bachelor’s degree-completion rates relative to similarly resourced institutions. We document the lessons and strategies that STEM program directors have used to broaden institutional impact, including demonstrating their program’s efficacy through assessments and evaluations, coordinating, and streamlining efforts to ensure program efficiency and longevity, incentivizing support for labor, and consolidating support from institutional leaders. We also disentangle the roles STEM program directors play as grassroots leaders or institutional agents, distinguishing them by their authority and decision-making power and by whether they work to transform the institution to better serve students or to transform students’ behaviors to adapt to the institution. Our findings provide avenues to leverage STEM program directors’ efforts in order to move toward STEM education transformation in higher education.

Financial Resources for the Growth of the Russian Economy

The article deals with the formation of financing mechanisms for the dynamic growth of the Russian economy, focused on ensuring the country's global economic and technological competitiveness in the long-term period. The transition to sustainable, dynamic development in modern Russian conditions is associated with implementing a deep structural and technological modernisation of the national economy. It should be focused on further improving the country's infrastructure and expanding the existing sectoral structure of the Russian economy based on advanced development of the production of modern machinery and equipment for a wide range of sectors of the national economy. One of the independent priority of structural modernisation is the accelerated development of technologies of a new technological order (NBIK technologies) and the creation of production facilities to produce new types of high-tech products to diversify exports and increase the global competitiveness of the Russian industry. The solution to this problem involves a significant increase in investment activity in the economy, at least by a third (at least 10 per cent of GDP). In the current conditions, the rise in investment activity should face several restrictions. First, with the weakness of the Russian national production of investment equipment, which can be overcome through imports, but most importantly, through the development of its own production of machinery and equipment in the national industry's structural modernisation. Second, the weakness of the national financial system, which is reflected in the lack of long-term savings and the low level of monetisation of the national economy. For overcoming this limitation, it is proposed to form a special investment circuit based on a targeted credit issue to finance investment projects. The conditions and limitations of using the target credit issue to finance economic growth are considered.

Leadership Style and Organizational Culture as Correlate of Job Satisfaction Among Agricultural Training Institute’s Workers in Kwara State, Nigeria

Background: The workplace is a complex and cultured environment that requires intellectual leadership and a different degree of management style due to global economic competitiveness.
 Objective: The objectives of the study are to examine the relationship between leadership style, organizational culture, and job satisfaction among workers in the Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute (ARMTI) Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria.
 Method: This research study employed a descriptive survey research method. The total number of employees in ARTMTI in Ilorin was 762. Using a simple random sampling technique, a total of 401 respondents was randomly selected from the population of the study for questionnaire administration. 401 questionnaires were distributed out of which 325 questionnaires were retrieved and analyzed for the study. Data were analyzed using Pearson Moment Correlation on the relationships between leadership style, organizational culture, and job satisfaction.
 Result: The study found that leadership style and organizational culture were significantly correlated with job satisfaction at a 0.05 level of significance.
 Conclusion: Based on the findings of the study, the study concluded that there is a relationship between leadership style, organizational culture, and job satisfaction among workers in the Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute (ARMTI) Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria.
 Recommendation: The study recommended that leaders should realize that influencing the satisfaction of employees leads to higher performance and lower turnover rates among other things. Leadership in organizations should be assessed and managers should become aware of what is needed to obtain positive results from employees to improve performance.
 Originality: This article is original and there is no potential conflict of interest.

Measuring the Feature of “The Global”: A Framework for Analyzing the Global City Ranking

This study discusses the measurement of the global city with the primary aim to uncover the logical grounds to measure the features of “the global” in the study of ranking and comparing the cities. The study sets up a three-dimensional analysis framework with infrastructure (economy), fluidity (openness), and reputation (influence) for the basic dimensions of measurement for the global cities. Using this framework, the studies of top-10 Chinese cities in the global city comparison have been conducted with the data of cities’ scores from various ranking systems. The resources used include the index of Globalization and World Cities, global urban economic competitiveness index, Economic daily and United Nations global urban sustainable competitiveness rankings. The study tests the effectiveness of this framework by illustrating the coherence and dissimilarity of this analysis with other city ranking systems, and further discloses the advantage of this indicator system. This study exposes the existing problems in the logic and rationale of the urban studies and establishes the basis of global city ranking, thus offering policymakers new perspective on the strategy of city development.

Globalization and Its Brunt on Nigeria Global Economic Competitiveness: The Need for Holistic and Dynamic Strategies

Purpose of the study: The intensity of globalization has resulted in the near collapse of most manufacturing industries in Nigeria. Most products from Nigeria industries lack the ability to compete with similar products from developed countries. Such appalling competitiveness of the Nigeria economy has bequeathed untold hardship on the citizens of Nigeria. The rationale for undertaking this study is to determine globalisation's brunt on Nigeria's economic competitiveness empirically. Methodology: The Least Square method was employed to analyse the data collected from various statistical agencies such as the Nigeria statistical bulletin, World Economic Forum report and the United Nations Industrial Development report. The data collected is for the period spanning 2006 to 2017. Microfit 5.1 Statistical software is used in the analysis. Main Findings: The findings of the study shows that there is a negative relationship between globalization and Nigeria global economic competitiveness. The results further indicate that Nigeria’s participation in the global arena has not yielded the desired benefit associated with globalization with respect to the country’s competitiveness. Research limitations/implications: The study adds to earlier works on economic competitiveness as a sound pillar of globalization by carving out an empirical analysis of Nigeria experience with globalization. The implications of the study's findings show that Nigeria's innovation strategies significantly lag behind the innovation strategies in developed countries. Novelty/Originality of this study: This work put-forward a useful awareness into the existential challenge facing Nigeria and other developing economies in terms of equal capacity to confront their developmental problems as a result of globalization. The study further provides a pathway for Nigeria’s economic managers to overcome such challenges with dynamic strategies to achieve the desired benefits of globalization.

The Rodrik Trilemma and the Dahrendorf Quandary: An Empirical Assessment

Rodrik’s Trilemma rests on the incompatibility of democracy, national sovereignty, and global economic integration: any two can be combined, but never all three simultaneously and in full. Addressing the same problèmatique but from a different perspective, Dahrendorf’s Quandary posits that, over time, maintaining global economic competitiveness requires countries either to adopt measures detrimental to the cohesion of civil society or to restrict civil liberties and political participation. The purpose of this article is to examine the empirical foundations of Rodrik’s and Dahrendorf’s propositions. When one assesses developed market economies from 1991 to 2014, evidence suggests that only in rare cases can the Trilemma be overcome, and the tensions the Quandary hypothesizes build up to a significant extent. In most cases examined, however, the performance of the countries is too varied to support the broad claims Rodrik and Dahrendorf put forth in their respective writings. Specifically, next to the small group of five cases where either the Trilemma or the Quandary apply, there are twice as many countries that generally managed to grow moderately in terms of economic globalization, liberal democracy, and social cohesion while avoiding some of the tensions implied in the Quandary or reaching Trilemma conditions. For an even larger group of countries, the evidence suggests that growing economic globalization can coexist with lower societal stressor levels.

The Acceptance of E-Learning Among ESL Primary School Students During Covid-19

The past years have seen a strong focus in Malaysia on the increase of infusion of Information Communication Technology (ICT) in educational institutions to stimulate innovations and strengthen global economic competitiveness. The integration of ICT has transformed the Malaysian education system by reshaping the landscape of education, from teacher-centred to learner-centred education. However, the COVID-19 crisis has changed the landscape of the education system drastically. The educators have turned their focus on online learning as an alternative means to replace the face-to-face classroom. Therefore, this paper focuses on the investigation on the perception towards e-learning among ESL primary school students. This study also determined the level of acceptance towards e-learning. A set of questionnaires was distributed via Google Form to 100 upper primary students in Sibu, Sarawak. The results revealed that the perception towards e-learning was positive, and the level of e-learning acceptance among ESL primary school students was high due to its features of e-learning, such as flexibility, user-friendliness, and the students’ attitude towards using as well as the intention to use in the future. It was recommended that teachers should utilize student-friendly digital tools to deliver their teaching and learning materials so that the students, especially at the primary level find it easy and enjoy learning English via e-learning.

Analysis of Eco-Innovation from a Business Perspective

Os desafios corporativos impostos pela competitividade econômica global, somados ao enfrentamento das desigualdades sociais e dos problemas ambientais, vêm crescendo e se tornando cada vez mais uma forma silenciosa de seleção no ambiente de negócios. Nesse sentido, uma evolução da consciência da sociedade e dos governos para uma mudança de noção, no que se refere ao comportamento social, principalmente voltado para a forma de consumo, tem levado as empresas a repensar a forma como desenvolvem seus novos produtos. Dessa interação entre a busca das empresas por inovação e a necessidade mundial de adequação ao “triple bottom line” surge a Ecoinovação. O objetivo deste trabalho é avaliar o que tem sido estudado e aplicado em Ecoinovação, analisando alguns trabalhos realizados entre 2011 e 2015. Este trabalho tem um caráter exploratório, por meio de revisão bibliográfica, com foco em um tema específico, com estrutura de pesquisa baseada em palavras-chave. Por meio dos resultados encontrados, o trabalho conclui que as ecoinovações devem ser financeiramente viáveis, ter suas diretrizes voltadas para o desempenho do negócio e ser motivadas pelo conhecimento que os gestores envolvidos no projeto devem ter sobre a empresa, com sua visão pautada e orientada sobre os recursos disponíveis.

Empirical assessment of the impact of blockchain technologies upon effective development of the banking system

This article is dedicated to studying the problems and prospects in development of financial market of the national economy of the Russian Federation in the conditions of globalization and integration of FinTech technologies. Consideration of potential risks and consequences of their usage in economic activity would contribute to substantiation of the key strategic vectors in development of the financial market and national economy overall. Methodological framework contains positions of the theory of strategic management, financial management, and procedural approach. Peculiarities of determination of the parameters of financial sector development within the framework of scenario forecasting of integration of blockchain technologies into the banking system are revealed using the set of methods of systemic, complex, logical, comparative and economic-mathematical modeling. Based on assessment of the emerging effects caused by integration of distributed data storage technologies into the system operational processes of credit institutions, the author carries out a formalized assessment of development prospects of the banking sector in new institutional conditions of the economy. The theoretical and practical significance of the research consists in substantiation of the need for activation of the processes of integration of blockchain technologies into the financial system of national economy, which allows increasing sustainability and effective development of its participants, as well as ensuring the growth of global economic competitiveness for decades to come. The scientific novelty consists in proposal of an algorithm for assessing macroeconomic effects as a result of integration of blockchain technologies into the banking sector. The author builds the models that assess the impact of operational and credit risks upon the key parameters of financial performance of the banking sector of the Russian Federation.

Developing a channel strategy decision support framework for a diesel engine supplier in Mozambique

The global economic competitiveness has forced many organizations to consider the emerging and developing markets for future growth opportunities. The Southern African country Mozambique was identified as such an opportunity. However, although the country has experienced more sustained historic economic growth than its neighboring countries, it is also riddled with corruption and bureaucracy. Due to the complex and challenging Mozambique business environment, this research project utilized SWOT and PESTLE analytical techniques to develop a decision support framework to support the organizational growth strategies in Mozambique. The approach allowed for both internally and externally focused data collection and evaluation. The qualitative data were collected during structured interviews with selected captains-of-industry in the Mozambican context. In the development of the decision support framework, key factors were identified, evaluated, and ranked in order of severity. Key internal factors found centered on human resources, including management style, skilled labor availability and retention, while external factors centered potential growth in the mining and gas industry, government interventions and stability, and lack of skilled labor availabity. Taking cognizance of these factors enables a systematic framework to guide the strategy development in the Mozambican marketplace. It is recommended that this framework should be a living framework, continuously evolving as new strategic information becomes available.