Abdelmajid Charrass

Competitiveness of Nations Abdelmajid Charrass

Competitiveness of nations is the most used and abused concept of modern economy. It is presented by economists as a natural law equivalent to Gravity or Darwinian law; it seems to have answers to all economic questions as an economic "theory of everything". However, despite its attraction for economists, competitiveness concept still elusive and misleading, it is like a house of cards that cannot resist to any empirical validation. Thus, competitiveness manifests itself as an ideology more than an economic concept. Indeed, actually there is a need for a broader approach and a deep critical review of competitiveness concept. Therefore, this book aims at explain the sources of contradiction and the essence of the debate about the validity of national competitiveness concept. It summarizes the rejection of the concept in three reasons: Ideological aspect of competitiveness, exclusive microeconomic nature and political manipulation of the concept. In brief, this book presents itself as a critical review of competitiveness at nation level; it proposes the main fracture points in the theoretical basis of this contentious concept.