As one outcome of the Euro Crisis a more general debate on the EU's international positioning in terms of its HR endowment and its performance within the international knowledge economy has been revitalized. Unfortunately when it comes to debating the standing of the EU in international comparison, there is a lack of serious data on the issue. This paper investigates the EU’s international positioning in terms of innovative capabilities and global market performance by using most recent quantitative data on a wide branch of indicators, to support the ongoing debate with solid data.
The EU’s performance is compared to the standings of its most important economic competitors and emerging economic powerhouses
The paper will put a strong focus on the importance of innovation for economic development, growth and the global positioning of an political entity, by using the concepts of innovative capabilities and market performance developed by the authors’, which asses pre-conditional factors for innovation (Human resources, education, migration etc.), but also analyses the performance of the BRICS and the EU in terms of outputs (like patent fillings, trade performance etc.).
In doing so, this paper will offer insightful information about the EU's power to compete and rank in international economic affairs and about the EU's positioning in comparison to the industrialized countries, and will also deliver solid knowledge about the EU global economic standing in international comparison. Furthermore, the paper will discuss the efficiency of policies implemented by the BRICS and the EU to foster their global positioning in regard to their innovative capabilities and market performance.
Altogether, the paper will deliver significant first-hand and original knowledge on the international (economic) standing of the EU and the BRICS and will also deliver a solid data-based contribution to the more general debate on the positioning of the EU.
