The road to national competitiveness is paved with innovation and entrepreneurship: a qualitative comparative analysis

ABSTRACT

In the twenty-first century, competitiveness has become a pillar of sustainable development strategies around the world. Numerous international organizations and academics cite innovation and entrepreneurship as determinants of competitiveness. By incorporating innovation and entrepreneurship into the economy and society, countries have been able to implement policies to boost national competitiveness. However, not all countries have been equally successful because each country has its own unique characteristics that apply only within its national borders. An innovation system refers to the innovation institutions, actors, and infrastructures that shape innovation activities within national or regional boundaries. This article identifies the configurations of conditions that lead to high and low levels of national competitiveness. This paper presents the results of fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) with six causal conditions. The results reveal six combinations of factors that increase national competitiveness. R&D, innovation, entrepreneurship support policies, and GDP per capita are crucial elements. In contrast, developed entrepreneurship does not guarantee competitiveness achievement if a country possesses poor R&D and institutional infrastructures. The implications of this study can help resource allocation by supporting the design and implementation of effective innovation and entrepreneurship policies.

KEYWORDS:

• Competitiveness
• innovation
• entrepreneurship
• fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA)
• innovation systems
• research and development (R&D)
• institutional support

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Vice-rectorate for Research of the Universitat Politècnica de València (PAID-11-23).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, upon reasonable request.

Notes

1 https://www.worldbank.org/

2 https://www.gemconsortium.org/

3 https://www.worldbank.org/

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Pedro López-Rubio

Pedro López-Rubio holds a Ph.D. in Agrifood Economics from the Universitat Politècnica de València. His research focuses on innovation policies, competitiveness, innovation systems, knowledge management, and entrepreneurship.

Nuria Chaparro-Banegas

Nuria Chaparro-Banegas is a Ph.D. student in Agrifood Economics at the Universitat Politècnica de València. She is a professor and researcher with a FPU grant from the Spanish Ministry of Universities. She is interested in economics, innovation, sustainability, and regional development.

Alicia Mas-Tur

Alicia Mas-Tur is associate professor in Universitat de València (UV). She holds a Ph.D. in Business Management from the UV. Her research includes a wide range of topics dealing with entrepreneurship, innovation, female entrepreneurship, and the effects of public policies on these aspects. She has extensive knowledge of methodologies such as bibliometrics.

Norat Roig-Tierno

Norat Roig-Tierno is associate professor in the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV). He holds a Ph.D. in Agrifood Economics from the UPV. He specializes in regional innovation and innovation systems, competitiveness, sustainable and rural development, and how policies influence or shape these concepts. He has knowledge in the use of qualitative comparative analysis (QCA).