The
Global Competitiveness Report 2014 - 2015 assesses the
competitiveness landscape of 144 economies, providing insight into the
drivers of their productivity and prosperity. The Report series remains
the most comprehensive assessment of national competitiveness worldwide.
It is
being launched at a time when the global economy seems to be finally
leaving behind the worst and longest-lasting financial and economic
crisis of the last 80 years. However, this resurgence is moving at a
less decisive pace than it has after previous downturns, and heightened
risks looming on the horizon could derail the global recovery. Much of
the growth in recent years has taken place because of the extraordinary
and bold monetary policies in countries such as the United States,
Japan, and the United Kingdom. As the economy improves in these
countries, a normalization of monetary policy with tightening financial
conditions could have an impact on both advanced and emerging economies.
Moreover, the strained geopolitical scenarios with rising tensions in a
number of regions can also have negative consequences for the global
economic outlook. Finally, many countries are suffering from
accelerating income inequalities; often these inequalities are lasting
effects of the crisis that are creating domestic social tensions with
potential global consequences.
This year’s Report provides an
overview of the competitiveness performance of 144 economies, and thus
continues to be the most comprehensive assessment of its kind globally.
It contains a detailed profile for each of the economies included in the
study, as well as an extensive section of data tables with global
rankings covering over 100 indicators. This Report is one of the
flagship publications within the Forum’s Global Competitiveness and
Benchmarking Network, which produces a number of related research
studies aimed at supporting countries in their transformation efforts
and raising awareness about the need to adopt holistic and integrated
frameworks for understanding complex phenomena such as competitiveness
or global risks.
