ICTs and innovation for competitiveness: Evidence for Western Balkans vis-à-vis the European Union

Kostoska, Olivera and Hristoski, Ilija (2017) ICTs and innovation for competitiveness: Evidence for Western Balkans vis-à-vis the European Union. Zbornik radova Ekonomskog fakulteta u Rijeci: časopis za ekonomsku teoriju i praksu / Proceedings of Rijeka Faculty of Economics: Journal of Economics and Business, 35 (2). pp. 487-518. ISSN 1331-8004

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Abstract

The aim of this paper is to evaluate how well-prepared the Western Balkans
(Albania, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia) are to join the EU in terms of
competitiveness and to clearly identify the set of EU countries that would represent
a ‘real benchmark’ when trying to assess the region’s competitiveness. In 2010, the
Europe 2020 strategy was proposed as a means of focusing the EU and its Member
States on the main task of improving competitiveness and creating conditions for
smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. As candidate countries for EU
membership, Western Balkans are expected to act in accordance with these goals.
Hence, this paper implements the Global Competitiveness Index 2015-2016 and a
set of supplemental data analysis tools to assess both the level of competitiveness
and the region’s relative position vis-à-vis the EU member states. The results
clearly show that the EU is far from a homogenous entity in terms of
competitiveness, whilst the candidates expose a competitiveness profile similar to
that of Central and Eastern Europe. Overall, the Western Balkans trail behind the
EU-28 countries in building a knowledge-intensive economy and are significantly
outdistanced in laying the foundations for ‘smart growth’, as the European
economies press ahead.

Item Type: Article
Subjects: Scientific Fields (Frascati) > Social Sciences > Economics and Business
Divisions: Faculty of Economics
Depositing User: Mr Dimitar Risteski
Date Deposited: 24 Sep 2019 09:34
Last Modified: 24 Sep 2019 09:34
URI: https://eprints.uklo.edu.mk/id/eprint/1951

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