Poland. Competitiveness Raport 2006. The Role of Innovation

Opis książki:

The report aims at evaluating Poland’s competitive performance from a comparative perspective. Indicators, effects and determinants of Poland’s competitiveness are analyzed in terms of their evolution during the period of 1995-2005 and on the basis of an international comparison with other European Union countries, in particular the new member states. The report goes beyond the simple scoreboard approach, which might fail to capture structural factors. Developing effective policies requires an in-depth understanding of the complex factors that drive the competitiveness of economies. Therefore, this report adopts a systematic approach allowing comparisons of particular determinants of Poland’s competitive position. The cross-country comparison is conducted using both quantitative and qualitative perspectives, which allows the authors to forecast future trends and indicate some areas of policy priorities. The report is divided into five parts supplemented by methodological and statistical annexes.
The objective of Part One is to analyze and interpret the available evidence on the competitiveness of the Polish economy. The assessment consists of two complementary components: the nation’s prosperity and its position versus external partners compared with other new EU member states. The starting point is an analysis of the nation’s prosperity measured by overall economic performance, the level of the real income of the Polish population and the capacity to increase it. That is followed by an assessment of Poland’s competitive position in external relations. The question addressed here is whether the Polish economy is able to produce high-value products and services that meet the test of world markets. Therefore, Poland’s comparative advantage in trade is evaluated using the Revealed Comparative Advantage Index (RCA). Moreover, the country’s attractiveness for foreign direct investment is compared to the locational advantages of other new EU member states.
The second part of the report is dedicated to a detailed analysis of the determinants of Poland’s competitiveness. The framework for this assessment goes beyond a growth accounting breakdown of economic performance. Factors that affect competitiveness are grouped into two broad categories: assets and institutions. Thus, competitiveness depends on the availability of resources (labor, capital, technology and innovation) and their allocation (productivity) as well as on contextual factors (political and social environment, conditions of doing business, current economic policy, etc.) and their quality.
As outlined in Part Two, there are many factors that affect competitiveness, and their importance varies over time. Therefore, the focus of the third part of the report will change in subsequent editions. This issue of the report highlights the growing role of innovation as a source of competitive position. Poland faces a process of structural change that can be seen at both macroeconomic and sect oral levels.
Competition requires enterprises to constantly innovate and focus on activities with a high knowledge input. Therefore, at the center of this edition is the growing role of innovation as a source of the nation’s long-term economic performance and competitive position. The capacity to transform knowledge into unique and high value products and services is regarded as one of the most important competitive assets. The innovative capacity of Poland’s economy is examined and compared with the capacity of other new EU member states. The role of innovation in creating the competitiveness of the Polish business sector is assessed. Furthermore, the report ranks individual sectors of Polish industry according to their innovativeness.
Part Four of the report synthesizes Poland’s current competitive position and draws implications for policy in the context of the Lisbon Strategy.
The last part of this report touches on selected theoretical issues related to international competitiveness and its assessment. It is meant to continue an academic discussion on this complex phenomenon.
Marzenna A. Weresa

Książka "Poland. Competitiveness Raport 2006. The Role of Innovation" - Marzenna A. Weresa (red.) - Wydawnictwo Szkoła Główna Handlowa w Warszawie. Książka posiada 294 stron i została wydana w 2006 r.