Vývoj faktorov konkurenčnej schopnosti vo svetovej ekonomike a v Slovenskej republike
THE DEVELOPMENT OF COMPETITIVENESS FACTORS IN THE WORLD ECONOMY AND IN THE SLOVAK REPUBLIC

Summary/Abstract: The Slovak economy faces the strategic task of transforming its technology struc-ture, raising its performance and integrating itself into the international division of labour with economically developed countries (EDCs). The problem of structure changes is not intrinsic to transitional economies only, EDCs meet this problem too. Know-how of this development can be instructive along several lines to master the changes that face the current economy of the Slovak Republic (SR). Since the sixties EDCs have experienced gradual manpower price increase, which especially in Western Europe proceeded faster than labour productivity increase. That discriminated above all labour intensive branches oriented on mass production. In the seventies this development was aggravated by the steep price increase of raw materials and energy. These facts, accompanied by progress in science and technology and a drive of newly industrialized countries of south-east Asia with cheap manpower, changed the character of the competitive advantage of EDCs. In one decade a whole range of pro-duction branches went bankrupt, such as iron and steel metallurgy, textile production, ship-building etc. If price increase and limited natural resources lead on one side to seek new eco-nomical methods, on the other side the price increase of production factors opened the way towards more expensive investment and research intensive technologies. Factors based on the progress of science and technology became a moving force of a new type of competitive advantages. Unlike static factors of comparative advantages, which are usually linked to a certain geographical region, dynamic factors are characterized by greater mobility and are linked more and more to regions rich in science and research potential. The result of all this seems to be a high concentration of direct foreign investments in EDCs. The share of EDCs in the total inflow of direct foreign investments repre-sented 85.4% in 1980 and till 1992 this figure rose up to 88%. Such a development means a new polarization of the world. In the year 1965, the seven wealthiest countries produced 20 times more than the poorest countries. In the year 1995 this figure rose to 39 times.

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