Assessment of national competitiveness of European Union countries and determing factors

Straipsnyje analizuojama, kas yra būdinga skirtingą ekonomikos išsivystymo lygį turinčių šalių konkurencingumo veiksniams. Pirmoje straipsnio dalyje yra rašoma apie konkurencingumo sampratą, o antroje parengtos metodikos pagrindu identifikuojami konkurencingumą lemiantys veiksniai. Pagal BVP, tenkantį vienam gyventojui, vertinamas Europos Sąjungos šalių konkurencingumas, pasitelkiant rangavimą ir klasterinę analizę. ES šalys pagal konkurencingumą suskirstomos į šešis klasterius. Konkurencingumą lemiantys veiksniai įvertinami pasitelkus dekompozicinę indeksų analizę, aprašoma, kas lemia kiekvienos šalių grupės konkurencingumo pokyčius. ES šalys, konkurencingumo veiksniai, šalių konkurencingumasGlobal competition, changes in the economic cycle, ICT development, etc. require that national competitiveness of EU countries was assessed and compared. A country’s social and economic growth and national competitiveness are highly affected by government decisions. New and advanced technology and innovations should be used to create value added and facilitate national competitiveness. Competitiveness, a term broadly used in economics and political sciences, is one of the most important and controversial issues of recent economic and political discussions. Scientific literature focuses on organizational or regional competitiveness but national competitiveness has not been widely analysed. Usually one or more factors determining national competitiveness are selected and analysed but that does not show which of them have the greatest impact on national competitiveness. The goal of the paper is to identify and analyse factors that have the greatest impact on national competitiveness in the context of the EU. To reach the goal scientific literature was overviewed, comparative, econometric, descriptive analysis of quantitative data, cluster analysis, index decomposition and indicator analysis were done. Competitiveness and its main indicators have long been known. The definitions of competitiveness provided in scientific literature depend on the research object and research objectives. Competitiveness is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon. The concept of national competitiveness can be described as a country’s participation in the international market, its economic growth, employment rate, income level, productivity level, well-being, etc. [...]Šiaulių universiteta