The World Economic Forum organized in Davos by Switzerland sees Italy stuck in 49th place in the 2014 competitiveness ranking, unchanged from the ranking position for the 2012-2013 period. All the variables that make business life difficult in the Bel Paese continue to contribute to the result. Therefore slowness of bureaucracy and justice and correlated inefficiency, inadequate tax and fiscal system, a labor market that is still too rigid and public debt that is struggling to fall.
Among the dozens of indices examined to draw up the general ranking, Italy records the worst results in the public debt items, where it remains 127th, in the "ability to retain one's talents" we are over 130th, as well as in the variable "transparency in the policy-making process". To push Italy "up" to the 49th position, the rankings relating to the care of the population's health and above all to the ability to resist serious infectious diseases such as malaria contribute.
The organizing body of the world forum, despite the data that relegate Italy to a second or third tier role, says it is convinced that the reform plan being implemented with the Renzi government can revive Italy's competitive capacity. This, however, for now lags behind economies such as those of Barbados, Turkey and Mauritius. Kazakhstan and Portugal are doing worse than us, but with almost equivalent results, also stuck on the positions of the previous two years.
"Reading the data must take into account the fact that it is mainly perception data" commented Paola Dubini and Francesco Saviozzi, coordinators of the Research Division of SDA Bocconi which was responsible for carrying out the research on behalf of the Wef. “But the critical issues that have emerged are real and confirmed – the researchers continue – by other research carried out at an international level and must therefore be taken into due consideration. Of course, the benchmark adopted in the evaluation also weighs on the results: in the case of Italy, the comparison with the more developed economies can be penalizing and the expectations of a rapid realignment with respect to the reference benchmarks are evident. An appropriate reading of the index is therefore one that underlines the areas of strength and weakness of a country system and the shifts over time, rather than the absolute positions”.
Among the winners of this ranking, the organizer Switzerland is confirmed on the top step of the podium, for the sixth consecutive year at the top of the ranking. Singapore is confirmed in second place, first among the Asian powers that count three economies in the Top 10 with Japan and Hong Kong in sixth and seventh place. Of note is the United States, which takes third place by undermining Finland which climbed to fourth position to the detriment of Germany which finishes fifth.
Attachments: The complete classification
