التنافسية الدولية و مؤشرات قياسها : دراسة حالة مملكة البحرين

Abstract EN

This research is interested in the study of the concept of international competitiveness, its indicators and the application on the Kingdom of Bahrain.

There is a growing interest in the political circles in comparing the competitive performance of different countries to get to know the guidelines, the policies and the institutions that work better than others and the conditions necessary for success.

Nevertheless, the concept of competitiveness is still vague and there is no agreement on the meaning of that term.

Relatively lower prices and costs of production are considered to be major factors in competitiveness from the Macroeconomic Perspective.

Since, lower production costs reflect positively on the current account and / or lead to a shift in the composition of exports towards higher value-added or high technology (McFetridge, 1995).

One of the most important theorists of the Strategic Business Perspective on the subject of competitiveness, Porter, has pointed out to four key factors that affect the competitiveness: (a) the natural resources, the infrastructure and the management of the state, (b) the nature of domestic demand for the products of the industrial sector and services, (c) the existence of complementary industries and services and the extent of competitiveness at the local and the international levels, (d) the conditions that affect the establishment, the organization and the management of the companies in the state and the strength of international competition faced by these companies, which influence their strategies in dealing with these conditions (Porter, 1991).

Many of the analysts also linked between competitiveness and technological development.

By examining the situation of the Kingdom of Bahrain, the researcher conclude that oil and gas are the mainstay in the economy of the Kingdom of Bahrain despite its success in developing a number of economic sectors and the economy of Bahrain is affected strongly by fluctuations in oil prices.