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The dynamics of international competitiveness

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Abstract

The Dynamics of International Competitiveness. — This paper focuses on the determinants of international competitiveness over the seventies and eighties. The theoretical framework adopted here is based on a “technology-gap” account of trade flows. The econometric analysis relies on a dynamic model estimated by pooling time-series across countries. The short- and long-term impacts of both technical change and labour costs on trade performance are investigated. It is found that technological variables (patents and investments) play a major role in shaping dynamics of exportshares, while labour costs asymmetries among countries appear to affect trade performance only in the short term.

Zusammenfassung

Zur Dynamik der internationalen Wettbewerbsfähigkeit. — Dieser Aufsatz befaβt sich mit den Bestimmungsgründen der internationalen Wettbewerbsfähigkeit von Ländern in den 70er und 80er Jahren. Der theoretische Rahmen, der dabei benutzt wird, basiert auf dem Ansatz der “technologischen Lücke”. Die ökonometrische Analyse stützt sich auf ein dynamisches Modell, das mit einer Kombination von Querschnitts- und Zeitreihendaten geschätzt wird. Die kurz- und langfristigen Wirkungen sowohl des technischen Wandels als auch der Lohnkosten auf die Handelsleistung werden untersucht. Dabei stellt sich heraus, daβ technologische Variable (Patente und Investitionen) eine bedeutende Rolle dabei spielen, die Dynamik der Exportanteile zu gestalten, während Asymmetrien in den Lohnkosten zwischen den Ländern die Handelsleistungen nur auf kurze Sicht beeinflussen.

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Amendola, G., Dosi, G. & Papagni, E. The dynamics of international competitiveness. Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv 129, 451–471 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02707997

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