城市競爭力評比初探

「競爭」是促成企業經營效率，甚至整體經濟效益不斷增進、經濟不斷發展、生活不斷提高的最有效方法。過去二個世紀以來，「競爭」一直是經濟學家所關切的議題，從Adam Smith、David Ricardo以降所倡導的自由競爭市場經濟、國際自由貿易，以至1930年代國際貿易保護主義興起，國家始終居經濟決策的主導地位，對於一國的區域與產業發展有著舉足輕重的影響，因此，過去對於經濟競爭力的研究與討論主軸均以國家為單元。

Globalization and the increasing knowledge intensity of economic activity are leading world trends. They are advancing trade liberalization at both the global and regional levels, while weakening the ability of national governments to intervene in economic affairs. Meanwhile, the role of regional and urban economies is growing in importance. Hence, cities have to contend with global competition and its challenges. Toward this end, it is essential that cities develop their core strengths and distinctive features, thereby enhancing their ability to compete. This is part of the process that is known as“glocalism.”
The main purpose of this paper is to investigate the establishment of a mechanism for assessing the competitiveness of cities, one that can systematically provide cities with information on competitiveness. We begin by clarifying the concept of city competitiveness. Next, we analyze the key determinants of city competitiveness, as well as the structure of indexes for its assessment, by reviewing related domestic and foreign documents and studies. In the concluding section, we design a structure of indexes to assess the competitiveness of cities and counties in Taiwan. The establishment of a mechanism to assess local competitiveness will provide a valuable reference tool for local and central governments in formulating development policies.