The global competitiveness report 2013-2014: full data edition

The Global Competitiveness Report 2013–2014 is being released at a time when the world economy is undergoing significant shifts. The global financial crisis and the ensuing developments have heightened the role of emerging economies in the global context. This has accelerated the major economic transformations already underway, which have fueled rapid growth and lifted millions of people out of poverty. Yet, although the global economy’s prospects are more positive than they were when we release…

The Global Competitiveness Report 2013–2014 is being released at a time when the world economy is undergoing significant shifts. The global financial crisis and the ensuing developments have heightened the role of emerging economies in the global context. This has accelerated the major economic transformations already underway, which have fueled rapid growth and lifted millions of people out of poverty. Yet, although the global economy’s prospects are more positive than they were when we released last year’s Report, growth has begun to slow across many emerging economies, and advanced
economies in Europe and elsewhere continue to struggle. In the current context, policymakers must avoid complacency and press ahead with the structural reforms and critical investments required to ensure that
their countries can provide a prosperous environment and employment for their citizens. They must identify and strengthen the transformative forces that will drive future economic growth. Particularly important will be the ability of economies to create new value-added products, processes, and business models through innovation. Going forward, this means that the traditional distinction between countries being “developed” or “developing” will become less relevant and we will instead differentiate among countries based on whether they are “innovation rich” or “innovation poor.” It is therefore vital that leaders from business, government, and civil society work collaboratively to create enabling environments to foster innovation and, in particular, to create appropriate
educational systems.