V4 countries’ agricultural sector evaluation in terms of competitive advantage

Economic Annals-ХХI: Volume 151, Issue 5-6, Pages: 60-63

Citation information:
Kravcakova Vozarova, I., Kotulic, R., & Sira, E. (2015). V4 countries’ agricultural sector evaluation in terms of competitive advantage. Economic Annals-XXI, 5-6, 60-63. https://ea21journal.world/index.php/ea-v151-15/

Ivana Kravcakova Vozarova
PhD Student (Economics),
Lecturer,
University of Presov
16 Konstantinov Str., Presov, 08 001, Slovak Republic
Ivana.vozarova@smail.unipo.sk

Rastislav Kotulic
PhD (Economics),
Associate Professor,
University of Presov
16 Konstantinov Str., Presov, 080 01, Slovak Republic
rastislav.kotulic@unipo.sk

Elena Sira
PhD (Economics),
Senior Lecturer,
University of Presov
16 Konstantinov Str., Presov, 080 01, Slovak Republic
elena.sira@unipo.sk

V4 countries’ agricultural sector evaluation in terms of competitive advantage

Abstract. A market economy is a competitive economy, and therefore, competition is considered as an important part of economic activity. A simple economic analysis and economic experiences show that the development of national economies is historically dependent on the success of domestic producers and their skills to effectively compete in international markets. The issue of business efficiency in the countries of the Visegrad Group (V4) arose in the period of their economic transformation and preparation for their accession to the European Union. After these countries’ entering the European Union, the benefits associated with the liberalization of their mutual trade exchange were introduced. The aim of this paper is to evaluate competitiveness of the agricultural sector in the V4 countries in terms of their competitive advantage in foreign trade. To evaluate competitiveness depending on the defined objective, we have chosen the revealed Comparative Advantage Index (RCA), which is a widely used indicator with good interpretation ability. The undertaken research for the 2004-2013 period has shown that Hungary, followed by Poland, is the most competitive of the V4 countries in relation to international agri-trade.

Keywords: Competitiveness; Competitive Advantage; Agricultural Sector; V4 countries; RCA Index

JEL Classification: F14; O13; Q17

Acknowledgements: The publication is supported by the Scientific Grant Agency of the Ministry of Education (Project KEGA No. 032PU-4/2013 on the topic: E-learning application by training the economic subjects in the study program «Management and new accredited study programs at the Faculty of Management, University of Presov in Presov»; Project KEGA No. 032PU-4/2014 on the topic: Preparation of educational materials for the first level of study programme «Environmental Management and follow-up study programme on Environmental Management»).

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Received 25.04.2015