National Competitiveness

One of the key issues of the formation of industrial districts is the intensity level of cooperation and subcontractor relations between companies settled down in the region. This lecture is seeking the answer to the question of how the Hungarian companies judge over their subcontractor relations after switching over to market economy, what kind of experiences they have on the preparedness of the local workforce and how they appreciate their cooperation with the local governments and the chambers. The authors attempt to establish the possible clusters of the forming industrial district based on the empirical survey made in Summer 1998 in Central Transdanubia, the region attracted the most of the operating capital investments after the capital city.

1- INTRODUCTION
    Financial innovation includes new financial instruments, the creation of new corporate structures, the formation of new financial institutions, the development of new methods of financial accounting and reporting. Such improvements in the financial system are key to financial productivity along with economic growth. It seems that the institutional conditions can affect how the development of financial markets affects economic growth. This is important in all countries, but it can be even more important in developing countries, usually not at the desired level of good governance index. In addition, another point that has been neglected in literature is the consideration of new financial instruments in the stock market. One of the financial innovations in the stock market is exchange-traded fund (ETF). The ETF allows the investor to have a diverse and low-risk portfolio. With this new instrument, passive funds are made available to investors.
In sum, considering the existing study gap, the present study examines the impact of financial innovation on the economic growth of developing and developed countries by considering the institutional quality.

2- THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
There are six significant functions to financial innovation: Transfer funds, collect funds, manage risk, extract information to support decision making, address information asymmetry, and facilitate the purchase and sale of goods and services through the payment system. There should be no institutional, political, or regulatory barriers to financial innovation in performing these tasks. At best, government incentives should be set up to promote financial innovation.
Researchers examine the economic impact of financial innovation from two perspectives: The growth and innovation perspective and the fragility and innovation perspective. The growth and innovation perspective states that financial innovation improves the process of financial intermediation and, in turn, stimulates economic growth. The innovation and fragility perspective states that financial innovation leads to a more fragile and vulnerable financial system; therefore, it is an obstacle to economic growth. There is no consensus on which view is dominant.
Some studies show that innovation in the financial system can accelerate Bangladesh's economic growth through a positive effect on financial development and economic resources. Some studies, use research and development costs in the financial sector as a proxy for financial innovation and show that innovations are likely to contribute to economic growth, and incorrect regulation can be a barrier to growth. Another study shows that financial innovation (Financial Innovation Expenditures) significantly impacts economic growth.
Researchers believe that institutions, laws, regulations, and policies are essential for influencing financial innovation in the economy. Countries that encourage financial innovation accelerate the convergence of their economies into technology growth rates. Some studies also showed that financial innovation's impact is more substantial in countries with more security markets. Financial innovation positively affects growth in countries with more constraints on bank performance.

3- METHODOLOGY
We use a dynamic threshold panel model to investigate the nonlinear effect of financial innovation on economic growth.

4- RESULTS & DISCUSSION
The value of the threshold parameter in this study is 1.67, which is located between the lower (1.64) and upper (1.68) limits and is significant at the 10% confidence level. According to the results, the economic growth whit one lag variable with a coefficient of 0.28 has a positive and significant effect on economic growth. Significance of the effect of economic growth with a lag on economic growth indicates the dynamics of the behavior of this variable. The good governance index, which is considered as a threshold variable in this study, plays a role in the impact of financial innovation on economic growth. Thus, when the level of good governance index is lower than the threshold level, the effect of financial innovation on economic growth is 0.02 and when the level of good governance index is higher than the threshold level, the effect of financial innovation on economic growth is more and 0.04.

5- CONCLUSIONS & SUGGESTIONS
The present study results show that in the impact of financial innovation on economic growth, governments and economic institutions' role in enforcing laws related to good governance indicators cannot be ignored. Since the financial innovation in the stock market has a positive impact on economic growth, this effect has different consequences under the lower and upper levels of governance. In other words, financial innovation is meaningful and has a more substantial impact when good governance practices are implemented at higher levels; therefore, governments should strive to implement the criteria of good governance better. However, because countries differ in their institutional environment and definition of good governance indexes, implementing these practices may not produce the same results.

The issues of supporting the development of an innovative development strategy in the system of international entrepreneurship, provides a thorough description of the management models for developing an innovative development strategy in the framework of the growth directions of international entrepreneurship potential are investigated in the article. The components of the strategy for innovative development of entrepreneurship are determined. The mechanism for the interaction of innovation policy in entrepreneurial activity when developing a strategy is proposed. The management sequence of the formation of innovation policy in the system of international entrepreneurship in the form of logical and structural stages is highlighted.

The issues of supporting the development of an innovative development strategy in the system of international entrepreneurship, provides a thorough description of the management models for developing an innovative development strategy in the framework of the growth directions of international entrepreneurship potential are investigated in the article. The components of the strategy for innovative development of entrepreneurship are determined. The mechanism for the interaction of innovation policy in entrepreneurial activity when developing a strategy is proposed. The management sequence of the formation of innovation policy in the system of international entrepreneurship in the form of logical and structural stages is highlighted.

The paper reflects on question of regional policy ensuring food security in the context of closely interrelated economic, social and ecological components. Having performed analysis of common agricultural policy, programs for rural development, impact of world trade organization, integrated product policy, question of food security monitoring, influence of multinational companies, genetically modified products, programs for food support; we come to the conclusion that to the main trends of regional policy in the sphere of food security belong: establishing interregional and international import-export food operations, creation of regional reserves of strategically important products, direct/indirect financial and consultation support of agricultural enterprises, development of infrastructure facilities for transporting, storage, distribution of products, food support for socially unprotected groups of population, promoting development of eco-oriented production, implementation of control measures for the prevention of counterfeit in the trading network, control of production and sale of genetically modified products, formation of ecologically oriented thinking population.

The interests why some countries are richer than others and, therefore, more competitive arose already in XVI century, when mercantilists' ideas were popular. Today, under conditions of economic integration and globalization importance of national competitiveness rapidly increasing. Countries' policy makers pay attention to competitiveness gaining and its maintenance. Thus, national competitiveness takes important place in development strategies. But before forming national development strategy the current competitiveness conditions should be estimated. According to fact, that till today there is no generally accepted national competitiveness evaluation method, many different means are used. This article reviews and systematizes these means, analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of them.

National competitiveness has been the subject of attention in academic and entrepeneurial forums as well as a matter of concern for governmental, industrial, and education-form policy makers. In this paper, we discuss the conditions for national competitiveness in terms of the innovation systems, foreign direct investment, technological capabilities, innovation and institutions. Innovative countries benefit from localized learning that may be exploited within and across borders. Participation in research networks is not the sole avenue to development when in presence of an attitude that promotes learning and the adoption of the most recent technologies.

Since its inception, the European Union, as one of the most comprehensive and elaborate models of regional economic integration, has been striving to achieve a high degree of internal cohesion and natural convergence in the level of performance of individual national economies in its Member States as well as to maintain and improve its position as a major player the complex geoeconomics space of a globalized world economy. In order to achieve these key objectives, the European Union has been working since 2000 to implement large EU-wide strategies, one of which is the Europe 2020 strategy currently in place. The present article concentrates on the evaluation of the level of implementation of the Europe 2020 strategy in the conditions of the Slovak Republic in the context of analysis and evaluation of the level of fulfilment of individual objectives in the monitored time series.

As the need for a highly knowledgeable citizenry grows, fewer Americans are accessing training and education beyond high school. The failure to attain postsecondary degrees and workforce certificates is particularly pervasive among low-income and minority populations. An undereducated citizenry leaves the country at a competitive disadvantage, diminishes the middle class, and lowers the standard of living for more and more people. Although the federal government plays an important role in higher education, states bear the primary responsibility for developing their own public higher education systems, including policies for funding and governing higher education and for connecting higher education with public schools. Renewing the Promise: State Policies to Improve Higher Education Performance summarizes the findings from a study that sought to understand how public policy explains the collective performance of higher education institutions in five states— Georgia, Illinois, Marylan...

Microcredit emerged in the 1970s, in Bangladesh, as a tool for sustainable development. However, in Portugal, it only took its first steps in the late 1980's and emerged as a response to unemployment. This paper provides an overview of micro credit system in Portugal and aims to identify the profile of the successful microentrepreneur and point out the reasons that most contribute to the sustainability of microcredit business initiatives. Although the paper is mainly exploratory, we combined different methodologic approaches. First, we conducted interviews with key informants, then, we applied a questionnaire to microentrepreneurs. The survey contained three sections, namely, socio-demographic characteristics; characteristics of project; attitude as an entrepreneur. A sample group consisting of 96 participants of microfinance programme participated in the research. The findings indicate that the profile of the successful microentrepreneur is an individual with a superior degree, already have been employed, with positive or very positive level for the innovation of the product/service, for the adjustment of the business to the environment, for prior planning and for the accompaniment by public/non-profit institution. In a less degree, a positive level for training/professional experience in the project area and a positive level for self-esteem/self-confidence have also some influence. The results point out that the attitude as a microentrepreneur is less important than the characteristics of the project to the outcome of the microenterprise.

National competitiveness indices are often theoretical underdeveloped, limiting their engagement with academic literature. Because many are based on neoliberal ideology, a new approach is needed to incorporate governance and administration theory, and to enhance relevance to developing countries. This article introduces government competitiveness, a concept that recognizes overlooked factors like the role of social organizations, the use of diverse policy inputs and policy development processes, and the imperative to address human needs at all development stages. The conceptual foundation draws from systems theory, needs theory, and intervention stages theory to inform a comprehensive framework that bridges development scholarship and practice.

The article is devoted to the study of the state environmental security in national and globalization aspects. It has been established that the environmental security of the state is a status of every person's security, society, state and nature from excessive danger to the environment, i.e. the preservation and protection of vital activity, individual's interests and his environment from negative anthropogenic and natural consequences, which is an important component of the state security. It is established that together with the concept of "environmental security" there is a concept of "environmental modernization" as overcoming of negative impacts on environment from the industrial society by transformation of the latter with help of the latest technologies. The existing threats to Ukraine's environmental security, identified in the National Security Strategy of Ukraine in 2015 have been determined. The need for additional attention to the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine was emphasized as one of the threats to the states's economic security, which is in line with the provisions of the United Nations Resolution "Environmental Protection in Areas Affected by Armed Conflict". It is noted that the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources only formally fulfills the task of assessing the environmental status, unlike Finland and Sweden. The issue of public participation of Ukraine in environmental management is still debatable, as defined by the Law of Ukraine "On Environmental Protection", it remains only formal, although, for example, the public is actively involved in the management of this field in China. Accordingly, it was proposed not only compliting tasks by the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources to develop a single list of indicators at EU level for assessing the environment status, but also to involve the public in full participation in environmental management.

The aim of this paper is to analyze the position of the Balkan countries, according to the Corruption Perception Index (CPI). Due to the efforts of the Balkans countries to improve their level of economic development and for some of them that are not already, to become members of the European Union (EU), the average of relevant indicator for the EU is used as a benchmark in the analysis. The purpose of the paper is to identify deviations of the Balkans in the level of corruption in relation to the EU and to each other. Also, the aim is to formulate recommendations for the possible reduction of corruption and improvement of the position of these countries with regards to the CPI.

The present study is devoted to researching the peculiarities of the hierarchy of motives in the structure of professional motivation as a sign of success of the professional activity of private security company employees in Latvia. C. Zamfir's Work Motivation Inventory (WMI) was applied as the research method. The results have revealed that the motives directly related to professional activity do not have a leading function. The presence of the authoritarian syndrome as an axiological political phenomenon, which serves the regulating function of company employee behaviour, indicates the existence of an internal crisis and the necessity of changes in the operation of the companies. It is stated that the combination of motives with high ranks in the structure of professional motivation can be viewed as a prognostic factor of sustainability/unsustainability of development of the company as a whole.

National competitiveness has been the subject of attention in academic and entrepeneurial forums as well as a matter of concern for governmental, industrial, and education-form policy makers. In this paper, we discuss the conditions for national competitiveness in terms of the innovation systems, foreign direct investment, technological capabilities, innovation and institutions. Innovative countries benefit from localized learning that may be exploited within and across borders. Participation in research networks is not the sole avenue to development when in presence of an attitude that promotes learning and the adoption of the most recent technologies.

European Council agreed to the European Commission's proposal to launch a new strategy for jobs and growth ‐ the new European Union strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth ‐ “Europe 2020”. This will lead to a new concept of the competitiveness and deeper relationship between sustainable development and competitiveness. The aim of this article is to set out the future research area of competitiveness theory taking into account the development of competitiveness concept and existing research tendencies. On the one hand, for developing the new concept of competitiveness, it is necessary to critically analyse existing studies on competitiveness. Researchers, examining the problems of competitiveness, differently approach the concept of competitiveness, suggesting different definitions, classification, factors, models of competitiveness, and evaluation criteria. Despite all the discussions on competitiveness however, no clear definition or model of competitiveness has ye...

Corruption is a global phenomenon that can be identified in all countries. Although visible everywhere, corruption usually affects poorer countries, limiting the progress of the national economy and taking away the resources needed for education, health care and other public goods and services. However, the private sector also faces this global problem that jeopardizes corporate identity, distorts trust among business partners, and ruins the reputation of companies. The paper primarily provides a theoretical overview of corruption, with a special emphasis on the role of corruption in achieving macroeconomic stability of а country. Changes in the level of corruption in the Republic of Serbia are being analyzed in comparison with the European Union countries in the period from 2009 to 2016, based on the Corruption Perception Index (CPI). The paper also analyses the impact of corruption on national competitiveness in order to assess the degree of their interdependence. The research in this paper may be useful for policy makers in the context of the future development of anti-corruption policy and strategy.

The article deals with the peculiarities of formation and enforcement of the national investment security in terms of distribution of investment flows and demand for investments. The global market for investment resources was analyzed and its impact on the investment needs and security of the individual countries was evaluated. At the methodical level, the interrelation and interdependence of components of national investment security were defined. Leading security indicators were identified and characterized taking into account investment risks factors. A Process model of the country's investment security system was developed considering the risks and threats from the external environment and economic issues from the internal environment. The algorithm of complex assessment of the investment security of a country, based on the identification of stages and components of use of investments at the national level, was formed. A Model for evaluating the country's individual investment security measures was developed.

The main purpose of this paper is to study the influence of home-multinational enterprises on country global competitiveness and to determine how this influence changes with the stage of country competitiveness. Based on the regression model, Variance Inflation Factor test and Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering method, we analyzed the WEF Global Competitiveness Index 2017–2018 of those countries whose multinational firms were included into the Forbes Global 2000 list of 2017. The findings highlighted the important role of home-MNEs as determinants of countries‘ competitiveness, however MNE-related contribution of different pillars and components of the Global Competitiveness Index vary, depending on the stage of competitiveness of the studied 58 countries.

Santrauka. Šiandien įvairiose pasaulio šalyse itin daug dėmesio skiriama nacionalinio konkurencingumo klausimui: steigiamos nacionalinio konkurencingumo tarybos, vykdomos diskusijos, atliekami konkurencingumo vertinimai, o atsižvelgiant į jų rezul tatus kuriamos ir įgyvendinamos strategijos. Tačiau toks susidomėjimas nacionaliniu konkurencingumu ne tik kad nesuteikia aiškumo, ką ši sąvoka reiškia ir koks yra jos turinys, bet dar labiau klaidina, nes kiekvienas apie tai kalbantis turi subjektyvų, tam tikrus atstovaujamus interesus atspindintį požiūrį. Taip pat, nesant vieningos nuomonės dėl šalies konkurencingumo sampra tos, prarandama galimybė pateikti išsamų, tvirtai pagrįstą šalies konkurencingumo turinį atskleidžiantį veiksnių rinkinį. Šiame straipsnyje, prieš tai apibrėžus šalies konkurencingumo sampratą, identifikuojami šalies konkurencingumą lemiantys veiksniai ir remiantis mokslinės literatūros analize atskleidžiamas ir pagrindžiamas kiekvieno jų turinys. Reikšminiai žodžiai: šalies konkurencingumas, nacionalinis konkurencingumas, šalies konkurencingumo samprata, šalies konkurencingumo veiksniai, šalies našumas, žmonių gerovė.

The main purpose of this paper is to study the influence of home-multinational enterprises on country global competitiveness and to determine how this influence changes with the stage of country competitiveness. Based on the regression model, Variance Inflation Factor test and Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering method, we analyzed the WEF Global Competitiveness Index 2017–2018 of those countries whose multinational firms were included into the Forbes Global 2000 list of 2017. The findings highlighted the important role of home-MNEs as determinants of countries‘ competitiveness, however MNE-related contribution of different pillars and components of the Global Competitiveness Index vary, depending on the stage of competitiveness of the studied 58 countries.

The main purpose of this paper is to study the influence of home-multinational enterprises on country global competitiveness and to determine how this influence changes with the stage of country competitiveness. Based on the regression model, Variance Inflation Factor test and Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering method, we analyzed the WEF Global Competitiveness Index 2017–2018 of those countries whose multinational firms were included into the Forbes Global 2000 list of 2017. The findings highlighted the important role of home-MNEs as determinants of countries‘ competitiveness, however MNE-related contribution of different pillars and components of the Global Competitiveness Index vary, depending on the stage of competitiveness of the studied 58 countries.

Corruption is a global phenomenon that can be identified in all countries. Although visible everywhere, corruption usually affects poorer countries, limiting the progress of the national economy and taking away the resources needed for education, health care and other public goods and services. However, the private sector also faces this global problem that jeopardizes corporate identity, distorts trust among business partners, and ruins the reputation of companies. The paper primarily provides a theoretical overview of corruption, with a special emphasis on the role of corruption in achieving macroeconomic stability of а country. Changes in the level of corruption in the Republic of Serbia are being analyzed in comparison with the European Union countries in the period from 2009 to 2016, based on the Corruption Perception Index (CPI). The paper also analyses the impact of corruption on national competitiveness in order to assess the degree of their interdependence. The research in this paper may be useful for policy makers in the context of the future development of anti-corruption policy and strategy.

FDI has been considered by many development economists as an important channel for transfer of technology to developing countries. It is suggested that modern, advanced technologies introduced by multinational firms can diffuse to domestic firms through spillovers. In this paper, we study innovation and technology transfer activities of domestic and foreign firms in Turkish manufacturing industries, and the impact of horizontal, vertical and labor spillovers on these activities. Our analysis shows that foreign firms are more innovative than their domestic counterparts, and transfer technology from abroad (mostly from their parent companies). Horizontal spillovers from foreign firms seem to be insignificant. The effects of foreign firms on technological activities of other firms in vertically related industries are ambiguous. High-tech suppliers tend to have a high rate of innovation when the share of foreign users is high, but the opposite is true for users: high-tech users supplied mainly by foreign firms tend to have a lower rate of innovation. Labor turnover is found to be the main channel of spillovers. Our findings reiterate the importance of tacitness of knowledge, and confirm that technology cannot easily be transferred through passive mechanisms.

Corruption is a global phenomenon that can be identified in all countries. Although visible everywhere, corruption usually affects poorer countries, limiting the progress of the national economy and taking away the resources needed for education, health care and other public goods and services. However, the private sector also faces this global problem that jeopardizes corporate identity, distorts trust among business partners, and ruins the reputation of companies. The paper primarily provides a theoretical overview of corruption, with a special emphasis on the role of corruption in achieving macroeconomic stability of а country. Changes in the level of corruption in the Republic of Serbia are being analyzed in comparison with the European Union countries in the period from 2009 to 2016, based on the Corruption Perception Index (CPI). The paper also analyses the impact of corruption on national competitiveness in order to assess the degree of their interdependence. The research in this paper may be useful for policy makers in the context of the future development of anti-corruption policy and strategy.

Local government reform has been acknowledged to be one of the biggest successes of political transformation in Poland. Municipalities (gminy) gained strong powers and are now responsible for many public services of crucial importance to local communities. The districts (powiaty) and provinces (województwa) were also given important competences in the fields of public services and the responsibility for their development. Their autonomy is guarded by legal, institutional and financial guarantees and strong local leaders. The carefully designed institutional framework of local and regional government seemed to be permanent and durable, guaranteeing strong decentralization and providing local and provincial authorities with substantial decision-making powers and responsibilities for a vast majority of public services.Such a broad field for the functioning of the local government does not remain without interpretation problems. The consecutive central governments were finding common ground in their instrumental approach to local authorities' independence. It was convenient for the state to decentralize problems and challenges, while keeping control over finance and other resources, as well as looking for ways to increase supervisory powers over local government. Almost 30 years after the reintroduction of territorial self-government in Poland, it is expected to be well rooted in the constitutional system of Poland, but is it really so?

Some developing economies (especially East Asian Countries) have long imitated western technology. It means that these economies adopted an imitative attitude to new industrial technologies with regard to technology policies. Some changes recently have occurred. Asian economies such as South Korea and Taiwan begin to become fast innovators. Since this development that stimulates the imitation of technology makes worried some

Corruption is a global phenomenon that can be identified in all countries. Although visible everywhere, corruption usually affects poorer countries, limiting the progress of the national economy and taking away the resources needed for education, health care and other public goods and services. However, the private sector also faces this global problem that jeopardizes corporate identity, distorts trust among business partners, and ruins the reputation of companies. The paper primarily provides a theoretical overview of corruption, with a special emphasis on the role of corruption in achieving macroeconomic stability of а country. Changes in the level of corruption in the Republic of Serbia are being analyzed in comparison with the European Union countries in the period from 2009 to 2016, based on the Corruption Perception Index (CPI). The paper also analyses the impact of corruption on national competitiveness in order to assess the degree of their interdependence. The research in this paper may be useful for policy makers in the context of the future development of anti-corruption policy and strategy.

The study examined school effectiveness as a panacea to national competiveness in Secondary Schools in Asaba metropolis, Delta State. Two research questions guided the study. Descriptive research design was used for the study. The population was 950 teachers in Asaba metropolis of Delta state. A sample of 190 teachers was conveniently drawn from ten secondary schools in three local government areas in the metropolis. A 19-item questionnaire was used for data collection. The instrument was validated and trial tested to determine the reliability coefficient of 0.80. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions. The findings revealed that, school organization can foster education for National competitiveness to a very high extent; depending on the school environment and management, school supervision of instruction, evaluation potentials and availability of instructional materials. It was also revealed that classroom organisation can enhance students learning outcomes for National competitiveness to a very high extent: depending on the class management, orderly atmosphere for teaching and learning, the teachers' competencies and instructional strategies, and opportunity for individual and cooperative learning. It was recommended that, all schools and their staff should participate in school self-assessment process to enhance school effectiveness for national competitiveness.

The main purpose of this paper is to study the influence of home-multinational enterprises on country global competitiveness and to determine how this influence changes with the stage of country competitiveness. Based on the regression model, Variance Inflation Factor test and Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering method, we analyzed the WEF Global Competitiveness Index 2017–2018 of those countries whose multinational firms were included into the Forbes Global 2000 list of 2017. The findings highlighted the important role of home-MNEs as determinants of countries‘ competitiveness, however MNE-related contribution of different pillars and components of the Global Competitiveness Index vary, depending on the stage of competitiveness of the studied 58 countries.

In this study I present on the one hand the Hungarian National Investment Incentive Framework System, the regulation of Subsidies under Unique Government Decision, and evaluate them in the case of automotive industry investments based on various viewpoints. The Hungarian subsidy system is most effective in the area of incentivizing new investments. From the expenditure-benefit aspect, the system has been most advantageous from the viewpoint of unemployment related cost reduction. However, currently the system doesn't facilitate Hungarian companies becoming suppliers and their strengthening, it much rather supports the settlement of foreign suppliers of multinational companies in Hungary. Before 2017, a further serious deficiency of the Hungarian state subsidy system was that it primarily supported capacity expansion and job creating investments by large companies, while it only minimally supported R & D activities, technology intensive investments and the development of Hungarian owned micro, small and medium size companies.

Singapore is a small island nation that had transformed itself from a third world country to first world country in the third world region. Singapore a country of little more than five million people without very few natural resources has achieved so much in last 50 years and made itself a role model of development for many countries with small land, population and natural resources. Singapore is considered one of the tiger economies or Asian tiger along with Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea for its first growing economy and high-growth economic rate. In this paper I will be discussing about the Singapore model, competitiveness of Singapore and the present and future challenges for Singapore's competitiveness.

Corruption is a global phenomenon that can be identified in all countries. Although visible everywhere, corruption usually affects poorer countries, limiting the progress of the national economy and taking away the resources needed for education, health care and other public goods and services. However, the private sector also faces this global problem that jeopardizes corporate identity, distorts trust among business partners, and ruin the reputation of companies. Therefore, the paper primarily provides the theoretical overview of corruption, with a special emphasis on the role of corruption in achieving macroeconomic stability of а country. Changes in the level of corruption in the Republic of Serbia are being analysed in comparison with the European Union countries in the period from 2009 to 2016, based on the Corruption Perceptions Index. The paper also analyses the impact of corruption on national competitiveness in order to assess the degree of their interdependence. The research in this paper is useful for policy makers in the function of the future direction of development policy and anti-corruption strategy.

Recent study examines the impact of good governance on the Human Development Index. In the present study, the Human Development Index (HDI) considered as dependent variable, good governance is independent variables and the development of communication technology has been considered as the moderator variable. The study approach is econometric panel data analysis and GLS regression analysis was used to test the research hypotheses. Findings of model for countries with per capita GDP of less than U.S. $ 6,800 shows that the coefficients of the control of corruption, political stability, government effectiveness and freedom of expression are at significant level and can be used to estimate the level of human development. The prediction equation for countries with GDP higher than $ 6,800 per year shows that the coefficients of the variables of government effectiveness, regulatory quality and internet users are significant. Finally, finding suggests that in the Southeastern countries of Asia the coefficients of the political stability and government effectiveness are significant for predicting levels of human development .

One of the constant concerns of economists and public administration scientists has been the transition from different stages of development accompanied by justice and social welfare.  Success of governments in achieving this goal is interpreted as one of their power elements. In the present research, promoting national wellbeing is considered from the perspective of improvement of national competitiveness capacity attributes. Research methodology includes both descriptive and correlation analysis based on Structural Equation Modeling. Data was collected by means of documents and library studies from international sources. Research results indicated that providing national competitiveness capacity results in national wellbeing promotion. Meanwhile, promoting national competitiveness capacity with attributes such as "basic requirements", "efficiency enhancer" and "innovation and sophistication factors" paves the way for improvement of wellbeing in qualitative dimensions such as happiness, gender equality, etc. as well as quantitative dimensions such as health, education and research.

Technology affects all areas of our lives very deeply.  It makes the world easier, faster, more productive and more efficient.  This being the case, impact of technology over economy becomes enormous.  It would not be an exaggeration to say that technology is one of the most influential components determines social welfare level of states. Technological developments occur by innovations and inventions which are produced in the result of research and development activities. There is no doubt that Science and Technology activities such Research and Development are one of the most important assets of economies since these activities are able to make economies competitive with all Worlds leading economies. ‘Science, technology and innovation is a key tool for moving the world onto a sustainable path.’  While importance of technology is extremely obvious, analyzing of Turkey’s position in terms of technological development matters to be able to make substantial interpretations for future economy.
The objective of this study is to examine Turkey’s science and technology (S&T) policies. The aim of this examination is that measuring Turkey’s development in this field, identifying Turkey’s comparative position to rest of the world and revealing influential factors which create this comparative position.

Lo spionaggio industriale, nella moderna era digitale, rappresenta una limitazione allo sviluppo della competitività aziendale e nazionale. Il progetto ha l’obiettivo di analizzare il fenomeno dello spionaggio digitale quale potenziale danno al know how aziendale e alle innovazioni di prodotto/processo ed individuare un sistema efficiente di best practices endo-imprese per sostenere la crescita aziendale e la competitività nei mercati globali. La ricerca analizzerà e confronterà gli attuali strumenti economico-giuridici nei Paesi maggiormente innovativi (USA, Regno Unito, Germania, Francia e Giappone) per focalizzare punti di forza e debolezza del sistema italiano.
I risultati del progetto sono di notevole utilità per sviluppare ed implementare best practices (di management, di ICT e di diritto industriale) di protezione del know how aziendale che sostengano la competitività delle imprese italiane nel moderno mercato globale. Queste best practices sono strumenti innovativi che l’Intelligence Istituzionale dovrebbe prospettare ed incentivare con finanziamenti alla R&S e formazione, sia a livello aziendale che a livello settoriale, prodromici alla moderna politica industriale in era digitale per la tutela della proprietà intellettuale delle imprese ovvero per l’accrescimento della produttività, competitività internazionale.

With regard to the needs of Iran for expansion of foreign markets, in this research, developing a model concerning fundamentals and prerequisites for developing international markets in ICT industry was sought. For this purpose, related literature was reviews and two primary models for fundamentals and prerequisites have been designed. Then, for customization of the model according to Iranian market, experts opinions were collected through interviews and Delphi method. The nature of this research is developmental and applicable and the research method is a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. For data gathering, at first we interviewed 10 knowledgeable experts. Then, 60 factors were extracted from interviews through theme analysis. The extracted factors were added to the already 45 factors that were identified from the literature review and totally 105 factors were sent to 15 experts to examine the importance and adaptability of those factors in Iran market. After a three-step Delphi method evaluation, 44 factors became finalized. Then a survey was done on 110 experts that work in ICT industry. The result of the exploratory factor analysis has shown that the factors were divided into 4 dimensions, namely, governmental, organizational, governmental prerequisite, abd organizational prerequisite.

The Eurozone’s largest and strongest economy Germany (Eurostat European Commission, 2013) shows a continuing growth in the creative industries (Soendermann, 2012) with Berlin celebrated as a promising, up-and-coming major fashion capital (Horn, 2010; Barth, 2011). The majority of Europe’s fashion designers are trained in Germany (Schirrmacher, 2013); the country inhabits favorable resources and capabilities for the fashion industry and is the second largest employer in the fashion and textile industry next to Italy (Fashion United, 2014). However, Germany ‘has still not evolved into a classic fashion nation’ (Horn, 2010). German premium/ luxury designers and brands have little international significance (Weiss, 2011) and show very low economic performance (Soendermann, 2012).
The purpose of this study is to explore what constitutes the German industry’s competitiveness in order to provide insight into industry dynamics for policymakers to offer support at the right spot and to the right conditions; as well as for industry practitioners to aid business-related strategic decision-making. Hereby, the research takes a Porter’s (1998) diamond approach and analyses the industry’s factor conditions, demand conditions, relating and supporting industries, firm strategy, structure and rivalry as well as government and chance including specifics of the premium/ luxury fashion industry in general as well as those of the unit of analysis. The study employs a qualitative approach and is applying a mixed methods, cross-sectional, embedded case study design based on qualitative and quantitative secondary data and literature as well as qualitative primary data sources, which have been collected in form of two interviews with industry professionals.
The research reveals that Germany inhabits advantages in factor conditions and related and supporting industries; disadvantages and selective disadvantages in the determinants of demand conditions and firm strategy, structure and rivalry with the government having a depressing influence on all determinants.

کاری از محمد صادق  فتح اللهی
دانشجوی دوره دکتری
دانشگاه تهران
دانشکده علوم اجتماعی
گروه توسعه اجتماعی
درس: روش تحقیق پیشرفته کمی
استاد: دکتر یحیی علی بابایی
با عنوان:
بررسی رابطه میان توسعه کشورها با حکمرانی خوب
(با استفاده از نرم‌افزار لیزرل)
تابستان 1393
آدرس الکترونیکی محمدصادق فتح اللهی: [email protected]

مقدمه:

توسعه روندی است همه‌جانبه و فراگیر در جهت بهبود شرایط زندگی انسانی و افزایش توانایی‌های اجتماعی برای پاسخگویی به نیازهای معقول انسان در حدی که بتواند به تداوم و تعادلی منجر شود. درواقع توسعه تحولی تاریخی در جمیع جنبه‌های سیاسی، اقتصادی، فرهنگی و اجتماعی جامعه است و هر جامعه‌ای مانند افراد تشکیل‌دهنده‌اش، مراحل گوناگونی از رشد و تکامل را طی می‌کند تا به حد مشخصی از بلوغ فیزیکی و فکری برسد. درزمینه تحلیل و تبیین پدیده توسعه وتوسعه نیافتگی نظریه‌های متعددی مطرح‌شده است؛ که عمدتاً در مقیاس کلان و در سطح جهانی و ملی به تبیین توسعه می‌پردازند.
«حکمرانی خوب» مفهومی است که از اواخر دهه 1990 در ادبیات توسعه به‌عنوان کلید معمای توسعه مطرح گردید و پس از فراز و نشیب‌های فراوان در سیر تحول اندیشه توسعه، نظریه حکمرانی خوب یعنی نحوه اداره کشور، شیوه تصمیم‌گیری و چگونگی تعامل بین دولت و مردم به‌عنوان بنیان توسعه، مطرح شد (جاسبی و نفری:1388). این مفهوم با حوزه‌هایی چون محیط اقتصادی و یا به عبارتی امنیت اقتصادی، نقش سیاست، اجتماع و حقوق ارتباط مستقیم دارد. بانک جهانی در گزارش سال 1997 خود با عنوان «نقش دولت در جهان در حال تحول» نه‌تنها بر نقش تعیین‌کننده دولت در تحولات اقتصادی اشاره‌کرده، بلکه دامنه بحث‌های نظری و تجربی در مورد کارکرد دولت را در سطح جهانی گسترش داده است، سلسله مباحث مذکور به تعیین مفهوم حکمرانی منتهی گردید. بانک جهانی، حکمرانی را شیوه استفاده از قدرت در مدیریت منابع اقتصادی و اجتماعی برای دست‌یابی به توسعه پایدار تعریف می‌کند. مطابق تعریف بانک جهانی، کشورهای عضو باید به بهبود سازوکارهای تخصیص منابع، فرایندهای تدوین، انتخاب و اجرای خط‌مشی‌ها و روابط بین شهروندان و حکومت بپردازند (کمیجانی و سلاطین: 1387). برنامه توسعه سازمان ملل متحد حکمرانی خوب را اعمال قدرت سیاسی - اقتصادی و اداری برای مدیریت امور عمومی یک کشور در همه سطوح تعریف می‌کند. حکمرانی مشتمل بر سازوکار و فرایندها و نهادهایی است که از طریق آن شهروندان و تشکل‌ها منافع خود را ابراز و حقوق قانونی خود را استفاده نموده، تعهدات و تکالیف خود را ایفا و اختلافات را با میانجی‌گری حل نمایند. در تعریف دیگری از یونسکو در سال 2002 حکمرانی خوب به معنای سازوکارها، فرایندها و نهادهایی است که به‌واسطه آن‌ها شهروندان گروه‌ها و نهادهای مدنی منافع مدنی خود را دنبال می‌کنند و حقوق قانونی خود را به اجرا درمی‌آورند و تعهداتشان را برآورده می‌سازند (می‌دری: 1385)؛ بنابراین، این مفهوم با توسعه به‌عنوان مفهومی قدیمی‌تر که عمدتاً بعد از جنگ جهانی دوم و در دهه 1950 میلادی متولد شد، در ارتباط قرار می‌گیرد. ضرورت بازسازی و رفاه کشورهای درگیر جنگ از یکسو و نوسازی و پیشرفت در کشورهای رهاشده از استعمار از سوی دیگر، در خلق این مفهوم و ترویج آن مؤثر بوده است (میر: 1984). در تحقیق حاضر پاسخ به این سؤال موردنظر است که آیا برخورداری از شاخص‌های توسعه اقتصادی مانند نرخ بالای تولید ناخالص ملی و شاخص برابری قدرت خرید از یکسو و وجود شاخص‌هایی چون تحقق آزادی سیاسی و حقوق شهروندی تحت عنوان متغیر توسعه سیاسی از سوی دیگر، بر تحقق مفهوم حکمرانی خوب در کشورها، مؤثر است؟
در تحقیق حاضر متغیر حکمرانی خوب به‌عنوان متغیر وابسته در نظر گرفته‌شده است. منظور از حکمرانی به‌طورکلی: «فرایند تصمیم‌گیری و فرایندی که به‌موجب آن تصمیمات اجرا می‌شوند (اجرا نمی‌شوند)» است. بانک جهانی، حکمرانی خوب را بر اساس شش شاخص تعریف نموده و بر اساس این شاخص‌ها وضعیت حکمرانی خوب را در دوره 1996- 2002 هر دو سال یک‌بار و از سال 2002 به بعد به‌صورت سالانه در کشورهای مختلف مورد ارزیابی قرار داده است؛ بنابراین برای بررسی متغیر حکمرانی خوب از 6 شاخص استفاده‌شده است که پس از تبدیل آن‌ها به نمرات استاندارد، متغیر حکمرانی خوب با برچسب Good governance ساخته است. این شاخص‌ها عبارت‌اند از:
1. مسئولیت‌پذیری ،
2. ثبات سیاسی بدون خشونت ،
3. کارایی دولت ،
4. چگونگی نظم‌بخشی ،
5. حکومت قانون ،
6. کنترل فساد .
توسعه سیاسی: برای این سازه از دو معرف «حقوق سیاسی » و «آزادی مدنی» استفاده‌شده است. در تحلیل‌ها برچسب دموکراسی برای توسعه سیاسی انتخاب‌شده است؛ بنابراین توسعه سیاسی در تحقیق حاضر دارای 2 شاخص است. توسعه سیاسی در تحقیق حاضر به‌عنوان متغیر واسط در نظر گرفته‌شده است.
توسعه اقتصادی: شاخص «سرانه تولید ناخالص ملی» و شاخص «برابری قدرت خرید»  برای اندازه‌گیری این سازه مورداستفاده قرارگرفته است. با توجه به این‌که بازه تغییرات این دو معرف نشانگر توسعه اقتصادی یکسان نبوده، آن‌ها به نمره استاندارد تبدیل‌شده‌ وسپس میانگین گرفته شده است. این میانگین نشان‌دهنده شاخص توسعه اقتصادی است. در تحلیل‌ها برچسب «اقتصاد» برای توسعه اقتصادی انتخاب‌شده است. برای انجام تحقیق یادشده از دو روش کتابخانه‌ای و تحلیل ثانویه استفاده‌شده است. در روش کتابخانه‌ای مباحث نظری از منابع مختلف استخراج‌شده و بر مبنای آن مدل نظری تحقیق ترسیم‌شده است. در روش تحلیل ثانویه داده‌هایی که قبلاً توسط بانک جهانی جمع‌آوری‌شده‌اند به فراخور تحقیق حاضر مورد تحلیل قرار گرفتند.

This paper is an exploratory study proposing a conceptual model of national competitiveness and suggests that the competitiveness of a nation is primarily dependent on the rate of productivity growth. According to the conceptual model drawn, productivity growth in turn is dependent on the infrastructure, the human knowledge base and the government. The paper explains the way these factors interact in reinforcing the rate of productivity growth leading to greater national competitiveness. The concept of national competitiveness is based on an extensive literature review and formulation of a conceptual framework inspired by the theories and discussions.