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The social progress on the development of global competitiveness

Ícaro Célio Santos de Carvalho (Department of Operations Management, Fundação Getulio Vargas, Escola de Administração de Empresas de São Paulo (FGV/EAESP), São Paulo, Brazil)
Luiz Carlos Di Serio (Department of Operations Management, Fundação Getulio Vargas, Escola de Administração de Empresas de São Paulo (FGV/EAESP), São Paulo, Brazil)
Camilla Maria Cavalcante Guimarães (Department of Operations Management, Fundação Getulio Vargas, Escola de Administração de Empresas de São Paulo (FGV/EAESP), São Paulo, Brazil)
Karina Santos Furlanetto (Department of Operations Management, Fundação Getulio Vargas, Escola de Administração de Empresas de São Paulo (FGV/EAESP), São Paulo, Brazil)

Competitiveness Review

ISSN: 1059-5422

Article publication date: 29 June 2020

Issue publication date: 25 May 2021

372

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to evaluate the competitiveness of nations and seeks to answer the following research question: how does the competitiveness of nations include improvements in the quality of life, thus influencing and contributing to social progress in both social and economic indices?

Design/methodology/approach

This paper collected secondary data from the World Economic Forum and the socioeconomic dimensions of the Social Progress Imperative Index and considered the dimensions of these indices, which were demonstrated using Pearson’s correlation coefficient. The main focus was on the documentary analysis that was carried out to explain the realities of 121 countries from 2014 to 2017 as taken from these indices, considering the 10 countries at the top and bottom.

Findings

This study showed the use of new measures for the performance of nations that are less dependent on economics and focus more on social development, which may be a trend for the future of nations, and produce a more holistic view for the study. “Innovation” is the factor with the weakest relationship with social progress, which is justified by a weaker relationship with one of the subcategories, “basic human needs”, when analyzed in isolation. However, when the authors analyze the best and worst nations, the authors observe that economic factors are still prevalent, with the “institutions” and “infrastructure” factors being effective for improving competitiveness and the quality of life.

Research limitations/implications

The findings represent a new, emerging configuration in country performance, but the study has its limitations, such as the use of only two pooled variables and the fact that it does not correlate their dimensions or variables.

Originality/value

This study can represents an expansion logic for measuring the performance of countries considering social factors. The main contributions of this study are its statistical evidence and documentary analysis of the relationship between economic and social variables. The main contribution of this paper is to show that over time (2014–2017) economic factors, as measured by the competitiveness index of nations, relate to aspects of social welfare, as measured by the social progress index.

Keywords

Citation

Carvalho, Í.C.S.d., Di Serio, L.C., Guimarães, C.M.C. and Furlanetto, K.S. (2021), "The social progress on the development of global competitiveness", Competitiveness Review, Vol. 31 No. 4, pp. 713-728. https://doi.org/10.1108/CR-12-2018-0078

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited

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