Published in:
Competitiveness Review: An International Business Journal, 30 (2020) 5, Seite 485-505
Language:
English
DOI:
10.1108/cr-04-2019-0041
ISSN:
1059-5422
Origination:
Footnote:
Description:
PurposeThis paper aims to investigate theoretically and empirically the interactions between smart economic development (SED) and competitiveness in Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries. The main argument to uphold here is that smartness approach has been traditionally more focused on smart urban planning and smart specialization.Design/methodology/approachAn evaluation by index, correlation and significance analysis is used to present original empirical evidence from six CEE countries.FindingsSmartness approach integration into economic development justifies the identification of SED determinants: basics (welfare, digitality, environmental, social responsibility) and enhancers (learning, networking, agility, innovations and knowledge-driven). The interaction between SED and countries’ competitiveness in CEE countries might be described by two approaches, namely, focus-based (several most important basics and enhancers) and balance-based (equal importance of basics and enhancers).Research limitations/implicationsThe limitations relate to the particular sample of CEE countries and gathering opportunities of statistical data.Practical implicationsThe combination of SED-Index sub-indices and WEF GCI might aid a more accurate ex ante measurement. Despite common global challenges, each country should choose its own combinations for smartness determinants to achieve long-term competitiveness.Social implicationsThe findings are important for fostering smartness approach in economic development for long-term competitiveness.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to economic development literature by discovering basics and enhancers for SED. By linking well-known term of competitiveness and economic development with a concept of smartness, the new approaches, namely, focus-based and balance-based, to policy making in CEE countries emerged.