Finland, US Lead World In Economic Competitiveness-Report
Northern Europe and key Asian countries remained home to the most competitive economies worldwide, cementing their ranks among the top 10 in an annual survey conducted by the World Economic Forum.
In the annual poll of 104 countries' competitiveness by the World Economic Forum, Finland retained the top spot for the third time in the last four years, followed by the United States.
Rounding out the top 10 in "The Global Competitiveness Report 2004-2005," issued Wednesday by the Geneva, Switzerland-based WEF, were Sweden, Taiwan, Denmark, Norway, Singapore, Switzerland, Japan and Iceland.
The bottom of the list was rounded out by countries in South and Central America, Asia and Africa, including Nicaragua, Madagascar, Honduras, Bolivia, Zimbabwe, Paraguay, Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Angola and Chad, which was last.
The Nordics fared well because of their long-held ideals of keeping corruption clamped down and respect for contracts, rule of law and dedication to one-on-one business relationships.
In Sweden, for example, it's custom that a handshake on a business deal, be it the sale of fighter jets or providing stereo components, is just as binding as pages of contracts.
"The Nordic countries are characterized by excellent macroeconomic management overall -they are all running budget surpluses -they have extremely low levels of corruption, with their firms operating in a legal environment in which there is widespread respect for contracts and the rule of law, and their private sectors are on the forefront of technological innovation," said Augusto Lopez-Claros , chief economist and director of the WEF's global competitiveness program.
Japan, which was No. 9, rose from 21 in 2001, boosted in part by the nation's economic recovery. China, however, fell from No. 44 to 46, despite its roaring economic success of late. The decline was noted because of the country's extensive administrative control, red tape and poor accounting standards.
Taiwan (4) and Singapore (7) are the highest Asian countries, because of the former's strong grasp of technology production and research and the latter's solid economic environment.
Finland, home of mobile phone giant Nokia Corp., retained the top spot because of its alacrity in adapting to new technology, proactive business practices and "nurturing a culture of innovation," the WEF report said.
The United States, which retained No. 2, was cited for its technical innovation, but was offset by the instability of its economy.
The results of the annual survey were drawn from a survey by the WEF of more than 8,700 business leaders in 104 countries.
The aim, the organization said, is to examine the range of factors that can effect an economy's business environment and development as it seeks to maintain sustained economic growth.
"The present rankings continue to provide policy-makers, businesses and organizations of civil society with valuable insights into areas where further progress is called for, in order to improve the environment for private sector economic activity, and generate sustainable growth," Lopez-Claros said.
芬兰、美国居全球竞争力排名前两位
世界经济论坛(World Economic Forum)一份年度调查显示，在全球最具竞争力的国家和地区排名中，北欧及亚洲的主要国家和地区仍占据了前十名的多数席位。
在世界经济论坛对全球104个国家和地区进行的年度竞争力排名中，芬兰依然稳居榜首，这是其在过去4年内第三次占据第一的位置。美国紧随其后，排名第二。
世界经济论坛周三公布了这份“2004-2005年度全球竞争力报告”，其他排在全球竞争力前十名的国家和地区依次为：瑞典、台湾、丹麦、挪威、新加坡、瑞士、日本和冰岛。
竞争力排名最靠后的国家和地区来自中南美洲、亚洲和非洲，其中包括尼加拉瓜、马达加斯加、洪都拉斯、玻利维亚、津巴布韦、巴拉圭、埃塞俄比亚、孟加拉、安哥拉，乍得排在最后一位。
北欧国家竞争力排名靠前主要是由于它们长期以来不断消除腐败，遵纪守法、遵守合同，并且恪守一对一的商业关系。
世界经济论坛负责全球竞争力排名项目的首席经济学家兼主管Augusto Lopez-Claros称，北欧国家总体宏观经济状况良好，每个国家都是预算盈余，并且腐败程度相当低，公司普遍遵纪守法、遵守合同，并且其私营企业在科技创新方面也排在世界的前列。
而在此次排名中，推动世界经济增长的中国和印度只获得了中等偏下的名次，中国排名46，较去年下降了两位；印度排名55，较去年上升了一位。
Lopez-Claros称，中国宏观经济表现好得让人不可思议，不过它在制度上存在问题。他说，目前中国在公共制度领域存在的不足被经济的繁荣所掩盖。如果美国在未来几年减少对中国产品的进口，可能会增大中国进行改革的压力。
日本从2001年的21位上升至第九位，部分原因是该国经济复苏。
台湾（排名第四）和新加坡（排名第七）是排名最靠前的亚洲国家和地区，台湾主要得益于其强劲的科技生产和研发业务，而新加坡则是由于其良好的经济环境。
世界经济论坛的报告称，芬兰能保住第一的位置，主要是由于其能迅速适应新科技的发展，先发制人，并培育了一个创新的文化。手机巨头诺基亚(Nokia Corp.)就是一家芬兰公司。
美国仍排名第二，原因是其科技创新能力，不过其经济的不稳定对其排名产生了负面影响。
这份国家和地区竞争力的年度排名是根据对104个国家的8,700名企业领导者的调查得出的。
