The Comparative Analysis of Export Competitiveness of ex-Yu Countries
Main Article Content
Abstract
The paper deals with the analysis of ex-Yugoslav countries' export performance (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia) over the period 2006-2013. The paper is aimed at assessing these countries’ export competitiveness and determining its dynamics in trade with the world. The analysis included the research into and comparison of export characteristics – the volume and dynamics of export flows, geographic and product export structure and concentration, technological export sophistication, export specialization expressed through revealed comparative advantage, intensity and direction of change in export structure. In order to gain a comprehensive insight into export competitiveness, a few indicators were used: Balassa RCA index, Michaely index, Herfindahl-Hirschman concentration indices, etc. The indices were calculated based on the information from relevant databases of the World Bank and International Trade Centre, aggregated at the second and sixth HS2002 level, for the eight-year period and/or for the first and the last year.
The research revealed that ex-YU countries’ export performance is generally unsatisfactory, despite the progress that individual countries registered in the observed period. Most countries have comparative advantage in the products of traditional, declining industries, a high share of semi-products and primary products, and a negligible share of high-technology products in their export portfolio, a stagnating export structure, and a low degree of geographic and product export diversification. Mutual comparisons showed that the group is not homogenous and that, besides the described common characteristics, there are significant differences within the group in certain aspects of export competitiveness. The EU member–states, Croatia and particularly Slovenia, have a series of advantages compared to countries that are candidates and potential candidate. The greatest progress toward the improved export competitiveness was achieved by Serbia, while Montenegro got the poorest rating for export competitiveness.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Once the manuscript is accepted for publication, authors shall transfer the copyright to the publisher. If the submitted manuscript is not accepted for printing by the journal, the authors shall retain all their rights. The following rights on the manuscript are transferred to the publisher, including any supplementary materials and any parts, extracts or elements of the manuscript:
- the right to reproduce and distribute the manuscript in printed form, including print-on-demand;
- the right to print prepublications, reprints and special editions of the manuscript;
- the right to translate the manuscript into other languages;
- the right to reproduce the manuscript using photomechanical or similar means including, but not limited to photocopy, and the right to distribute these copies;
- the right to reproduce and distribute the manuscript electronically or optically using and all data carriers or storage media, and especially in machine readable/digitalized form on data carriers such as hard drive, CD-ROM, DVD, Blu-ray Disc (BD), Mini Disc, data tapes, and the right to reproduce and distribute the article via these data carriers;
- the right to store the manuscript in databases, including online databases, as well as the right to transmit the manuscript in all technical systems and modes;
- the right to make the manuscript available to the public or to closed user groups on individual demand, for use on monitors or other readers (including e-books), and in printable form for the user, either via the Internet, online service, or via internal or external networks.
Authors reserve the copyright to published articles and have the right to use the article in the same manner like third parties in accordance with the licence Attribution-Non-Commercial-Non-Derivate 4.0 International (CC BY). Thereby they must quote the basic bibliographic data of the source article published in the journal (authors, article title, journal title, volume, pagination).
References
Balassa, Bella. 1989. Comparative Advantage, Trade Policy and Economic Development. Hertfordshire: Harvester Wheatscheaf.
Bosić, Vedrana. 2015. Analiza izvozne konkurentnosti Bosne i Hercegovine. Master thesis. Ekonomski fakultet u Sarajevu.
Brkić, Snježana. 2010. Teorijski modeli i empirijski aspekti intra-industrijske trgovine: Primjer Bosne i Hercegovine. PhD diss. Ekonomski fakultet u Sarajevu.
Coto-Millán, Pablo. ed. 2004. Essays on Microeconomics and Industrial Organisation. Germany: Physica-Verlag Heidelberg.
Cowling, Keith and Michael Waterson. 1976. “Price–cost margins and industry structure”. Economica - New Series, 43(171): 267-274.
Faberger, Jan. 1988. “International Competitiveness”. The Economic Journal, 98: 355.
Halilbašić, Muamer. 2012. “Trade Advantages and Specialization Dynamics of SEE Countries”. 6th International Conference of the School of Economics and Business: Beyond the Economic Crisis: Lessons Learned and Challenges Ahead. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina 12-13 October 2012, Sarajevo: Ekonomski fakultet u Sarajevu.
International Trade Centre. 2014. Trade Statistics for International Business Development – Trade Map - User Guide. Geneva: International Trade Centre.
International Trade Centre. s.a. Trade Competitiveness Map, Benchmarking national and sectoral trade performance – Trade Performance HS. Geneva: International Trade Centre.
International Trade Centre. s.a. Trade Competitiveness Map, Benchmarking national and sectoral trade performance – Trade Performance Index - Userguide. Geneva: International Trade Centre.
Ketels, Christian H.M. 2010. “Export Competitiveness: Reversing the Logic”. Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness.
http://www.isc.hbs.edu/pdf/WB_Export_Competitiveness_March2010.pdf (accessed April 19, 2014)
Kovačević, Mlađen. 2002. Međunarodna trgovina. Beograd: Ekonomski fakultet u Beogradu.
Laursen, Keld. 1998. “Revealed Comparative Advantage and the Alternatives as Measures of International Specialisation”. Danish Research Unit for Industrial Dynamics. Working Paper. No. 98-30, 1-24.
Lijesen, Mark G. 2004. “Adjusting the Herfindahl index for close substitutes: an application to pricing in civil aviation”. Transportation Research Part E 40, 123–134.
Mejía, Juan Felipe. 2011. Export Diversification and Economic Growth: An Analysis of Colombia's Export Competitiveness in the European Union’s Market. Germany: Physica Verlag http://books.google.ba/books?id=D7ZkIi8-qF0C&pg=PA80&lpg=PA80&dq=Felipe+Mej%C3%ADa+herfindahl+hirschman+index&source=bl&ots=U0IyPqVA1i&sig=_tfYc25tVok3e0WwjVMHWhbkQwU&hl=bs&sa=X&ei=_6meU8y7CKqj0QW2qYCIBg&ved=0CBsQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=herfindahl&f=false (accessed June 16, 2014).
Michaely, Michael. 1962. Concentration in International Trade. Amsterdam: North-Holland
Mikić, Mia and John Gilbert. 2009. Trade Statistics in Policymaking: A Handbook of Commonly Used Trade Indices and Indicators. Revised Edition. UN ESCAP. http://www.unescap.org/tid/publication/tipub2559.pdf; (accessed March 30, 2015).
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. 2002. The Measurement of Scientific and Technological Activities. Proposed Standard Practice for Surveys on Research and Experimental Development-Frascati Manual. http://www.keepeek.com/Digital-Asset-Management/oecd/science-and-technology/frascati-manual-2002_9789264199040-en#page1 (accessed June 17, 2014).
Orszaghova, Lucia, Li Savelin and Willem Schudel. 2013. External competitiveness of EU candidate countries. Germany: European Central Bank.
Porter, Michael. 1998. The Competitive Advantage of Nations. Palgrave.
Reiljan, Janno, and Dorel Tamm. s.a.“Differences in indicators related to export competitiveness: the case of Estonian wood sector firms”. Study within the project supported by Estonian Science Foundation.
Sanidas, Elias and Yousun Shin. 2010. Comparison of Revealed Comparative Advantage Indices with Application to Trade Tendencies of East Asian Countries. http://www.akes.or.kr/eng/papers%282010%29/24.full.pdf (accessed April 5, 2014).
Scott, Bruce R. 1985. “US Competitiveness: Concepts, Performance and Implications” in: Scott, Bruce R., and George Lodge ed. 1985. US Competitiveness in the World Economy, Boston: Harward Business School Press.
Scott, Bruce R., and George Lodge ed. 1985. US Competitiveness in the World Economy, Boston: Harward Business School Press.
State Statistic Office of Republic of Macedonia. 2014. Database. http://makstat.stat.gov.mk/pxweb2007bazi/Dialog/varval.asp?ma=pokrienost_ang&ti=Import+coverage+by+export+for+the+period+1992-2013&path=../Database/Statistics%20by%20subject/Foreign%20Trade/Commodity%20exchange%20trade%20by%20years/&lang=1 (accessed December 22, 2014).
Škuflić, Lorena. 1999. “Međunarodna konkurentnost hrvatskog gospodarstva na tržištu Europske unije”. Ekonomski pregled, 50(10).
Tidd, Joe and John Bessant. 2009. “Managing Innovation: Integrating Technological, Market and Organizational Change”. In: Rebelo, Francisco andEster Gomes daSilva.2013. Export variety, technological content and economic performance: The case of Portugal. FEP Working Papers. No. 491, 10-11.
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). International Trade Centre. Database. http://www.trademap.org/Index.aspx.
United Nations International Trade Statistics. Harmonized System Classification by Section 2002, http://unstats.un.org/unsd/tradekb/Knowledgebase/HS-Classification-by-Section (accessed April 30, 2015).
United States International Trade Commission. 2010. ASEAN: Regional Trends in Economic Integration, Export Competitiveness, and Inbound Investment for Selected Industries. Washington DC: USITC.
World Bank- World Integrated Trade Solutions. Database. http://wits.worldbank.org/wits/
World Bank - World Integrated Trade Solutions. 2013. Online Trade Outcomes Indicators, User's Manual. Washington DC: World Bank.
World Bank – World Integrated Trade Solutions. 2014. Online Trade Outcomes Indicators, User's Manual. Washington DC: World Bank.
World Bank - International Trade Department. 2011. Trade Competitiveness Diagnostic Toolkit. Geneva: International Trade Department of the World Bank.
World Trade Organization. 2014. Trade Profiles 2013. https://www.wto.org/english/res_e/booksp_e/trade_profiles13_e.pdf(accessed March 25, 2015).