National Competitiveness: Theoretical Development of Core Constructs

This chapter explores the transformation and interrelation of the concepts of ‘competition’ and ‘competitiveness’. This analysis enables us to substantiate the elements of national economic competitiveness and, subsequently, build strategies to increase the competitiveness of economic agents in world markets.

The authors use systemic, historical, adaptive and synergetic methods. Moreover, the authors apply structural and functional analysis, empirical generalisation and grouping. The research object is the transformation of the concept of competition.

Under the conditions of digitisation, geopolitical aggravation, geo-economic factors, and more general scientific and technological progress, competition becomes a dynamic process and transforms into an endogenous component of the market environment, which stimulates change in economic entities.

Competitiveness is a diverse economic concept that encompasses mechanisms of interactions and interrelations of economic entities, multi-level economic coordination apparatus and competitive advantages that help achieve economic goals. Nevertheless, contemporary definitions of competitiveness are unclear because of its scale and the simultaneous need for its application to entire nations. Consequently, this research analyses the transformation and interrelation of the concepts of ‘competition’ and ‘competitiveness’. Moreover, the research identifies and substantiates the main elements of the national economic competitiveness of Russia. The research findings facilitate future micro- and meso-level research on strategies for managing and transforming the national economy.