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National competitiveness, dynamics of adjustment, and long term economic growth: conceptual, empirical, and policy issues

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  • Howes, Candace
  • Singh, Ajit

Abstract

ABSTRACT Although the concept of national competitiveness is widely used by policy makers at both the national and international levels, it has been the object of trenchant criticism in a series of influential contributions by Professor Krugman. He regards it as a meaningless concept and in the hands of naïve policy makers "a dangerous obsession" with harmful consequences. This paper challenges Professor Krugman's critique and suggests that its validity depends on a rather limited economic model whose assumptions are greatly at variance with the real world. The paper shows the analytical validity and usefulness of the concept specifically in relation to the UK and the US economies.

Suggested Citation

  • Howes, Candace & Singh, Ajit, 1999. "National competitiveness, dynamics of adjustment, and long term economic growth: conceptual, empirical, and policy issues," MPRA Paper 53537, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:53537
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    Cited by:

    1. Ajit Singh, 2014. "Competition, Competition Policy, Competitiveness, Globalisation & Development," Working Papers wp460, Centre for Business Research, University of Cambridge.
    2. Ajit Singh, 2016. "Competition, competition policy, competitiveness, globalization and development," Chapters, in: Erik S. Reinert & Jayati Ghosh & Rainer Kattel (ed.), Handbook of Alternative Theories of Economic Development, chapter 35, pages 666-688, Edward Elgar Publishing.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    economic growth; competitiveness; UK and US economies; policy;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D0 - Microeconomics - - General
    • E0 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - General
    • G0 - Financial Economics - - General

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