Economic Policy Research Center
Industry Productivity and Competitiveness
Industry Productivity and Competitiveness
Competitiveness
is the key to economic prosperity.
People, their skills, knowledge and productivity are competitiveness
drivers. Globalization trends, technological advances and the ensuing structural
change profoundly impact the nature of the regional economy.
The
challenges for traditional manufacturing, agriculture and service industries are
to benefit the rise of the new economy. Businesses of all types must marshal
their knowledge, skills and creativity to improve their products and services,
and raise their productivity to remain competitive.
Measuring
Competitiveness with Meaningful Indicators
Productivity
standards measure the vitality of the region.
Competitiveness indicators compare economic performance across states and
industries to identify the region’s progress in meeting the challenges of the
knowledge economy. Such
indicators also inform policy analysis by providing a framework for leveraging
the strengths and addressing the soft spots of the regional economy.
Competitiveness
Indicators and Industry Studies fall into three major categories.
Business Environment
– macroeconomic framework related to the fiscal budget, business
perceptions and the quality of life.
Resource Utilization –
human, physical capital, technology and R&D;
Innovation processes –
measures of commercial exploitation of science and technology,
entrepreneurship, diffusion of knowledge across borders and between firms.
Members of the Economic Policy Research Center have
extensive experience in developing and evaluating competitiveness indicators on
a regional and industry level.
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