REGIONAL COOPERATION AND ECONOMIC INTEGRATION

PART V:
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3.1. Comparative analysis of the global overall index and subindex of
competitiveness in the West Balkan countries in the period from 2008 to
2009
Table 3: Global Competitiveness Overall Index 2008-2009
Country
Overall Index
Rank
Score
United States 1 5,74
Slovenia 42 4,50
Croatia 61 4,22
Montenegro 65 4,11
Serbia 85 3,90
Macedonia 89 3,87
Bosnia and Herzegovina 107 3,56
Albania 108 3,55
Chad 134 2,85
Source: The Global Competitiveness Report 2008-2009.
After taking into consideration all 12 indices of competitiveness ,we can move to interrelated
comparison of West European countries in terms of the position they have in the list of
134 world countries. In Table 3, in addition to mentioned countries, the United States and
Chad are also included for the purpose of the clearer overview of the best and the worst
level of the global competitiveness index in the period from 2008 to 2009. The case of our
neighboring country Slovenia is the most interesting one. Slovenia is an ex SFRJ country
which holds the 42th place on the list and has significantly better competitive position than
Serbia or Macedonia. Croatia lags behind Slovenia slightly, while Bosnia and Herzegovina
and Albania considerably lag behind Slovenia. The fact that Montenegro has the 65th
place, close to Croatia, cannot be taken as the completely valid, because the mentioned
country has only recreantly achieved its independence and therefore the real picture on its
competitiveness cannot be given.
It is interesting to review the ranking of the West Balkan countries when we break down
the mentioned global competitiveness index into subindices related to basic requirements,
efficiency enhances and innovation factors.
Table 4: Global Competitiveness Subindex 2008-2009
Country
Basic requirements
Rank
Score
Finland 1 6,18
United States 22 5,50
Slovenia 38 5,13
Croatia 49 4,69
Montenegro 59 4,52
Macedonia 68 4,42
Serbia 88 4,15
Bosnia and Herzegovina 98 3,93
Albania 100 3,89
Zimbabwe 134 2,88
Source: The Global Competitiveness Report 2008-2009.