<div><br></div><div><span style="color:rgb(255,255,255);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:24px;line-height:29px;background-color:rgb(5,80,147)"><a href="http://www.weforum.org/issues/global-competitiveness">Global Competitiveness</a></span>
</div><div><br></div><div><span style="color:rgb(102,102,102);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:20px;background-color:rgb(245,245,245)">Introduction</span>
</div><div><br></div><span style="color:rgb(54,54,54);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px;line-height:18px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">The World Economic Forum’s Centre for Global Competitiveness and Performance through its Global Competitiveness Report and report series, aims to mirror the business operating environment and competitiveness of over 140 economies worldwide. The report series identify advantages as well as impediments to national growth thereby offering a unique benchmarking tool to the public and private sectors as well as academia and civil society.The Centre works with a network of Partner Institutes as well as leading academics worldwide to ensure the latest thinking and research on global competitiveness are incorporated into its reports.</span> <div>
<br></div><div><br></div><div><p style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:20px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;border-style:initial;border-color:initial;outline-style:none;outline-width:initial;outline-color:initial;font-size:12px;vertical-align:baseline;background-image:initial;background-color:rgb(255,255,255);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(54,54,54);line-height:18px">
<a href="http://reports.weforum.org/global-competitiveness-2011-2012/" style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;border-style:initial;border-color:initial;outline-style:none;outline-width:initial;outline-color:initial;vertical-align:baseline;background-image:initial;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;color:rgb(0,82,156)"><img src="http://www.weforum.org/sites/default/files/gcr-report-bar_0.jpg" alt="The Global Competitiveness Report 2010-2012" title="The Global Competitiveness Report 2010-2012" width="380" height="80" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; float: left; "></a><em style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;border-style:initial;border-color:initial;outline-style:none;outline-width:initial;outline-color:initial;vertical-align:baseline;background-image:initial;background-color:transparent">The Global Competitiveness Report 2011-2012</em>, comes out amid multiple challenges to the global economy and a continuing shift in the balance of economic activity away from advanced economies and toward emerging markets. Policymakers are struggling to find ways to manage the present economic challenges while preparing their economies to perform well in an increasingly complex global landscape and the report offers a unique tool in addressing some key issues.</p>
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This year’s report findings show that Switzerland tops the overall rankings. Singapore overtakes Sweden for second position. Northern and Western European countries dominate the top 10 with Sweden (3rd), Finland (4th), Germany (6th), the Netherlands (7th), Denmark (8th) and the United Kingdom (10th). Japan remains the second-ranked Asian economy at 9th place, despite falling three places since last year.</p>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/worldeconomicforum/6052249549/" title="The Global Competitiveness Report 2011-2012 by World Economic Forum, on Flickr" style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;border-style:initial;border-color:initial;outline-style:none;outline-width:initial;outline-color:initial;vertical-align:baseline;background-image:initial;text-decoration:none;color:rgb(0,82,156)"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6204/6052249549_df3af725fe_m.jpg" alt="The Global Competitiveness Report 2011-2012" width="170" height="240" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; float: right; "></a><strong style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;border-style:initial;border-color:initial;outline-style:none;outline-width:initial;outline-color:initial;vertical-align:baseline;background-image:initial">Quick access</strong>
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"</p><p style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:20px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;border-style:initial;border-color:initial;outline-style:none;outline-width:initial;outline-color:initial;font-size:12px;vertical-align:baseline;background-image:initial;background-color:rgb(255,255,255);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(54,54,54);line-height:18px">
Henk Elegeert</p><p style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:20px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;border-style:initial;border-color:initial;outline-style:none;outline-width:initial;outline-color:initial;font-size:12px;vertical-align:baseline;background-image:initial;background-color:rgb(255,255,255);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(54,54,54);line-height:18px">
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