Productivity Changes for Human Resources in Science and Technology

Monitoring of human resources in science and technology (HRST) is a key point in national competitiveness because high. quality human resources are fundamental to national development and related technological and economical growth. This study discusses the concept of HRST and-related measures, and compares productivity changes in a sample of 39 nations. This work is based on 323 criteria a from the competitiveness index presented in the 2007 World competitiveness Yearbook, where 10 specific HRST productivity criteria were selected. The ten criteria were used to measure productivity and changes in productivity of national HRST through data envelopment analysis, in which Malmquist productivity indexes were calculated and decomposed into two sources of productivity change. Data analysis indicates that technical change explains most of the productivity fluctuations observed during the period. The analytical results reveal a benchmark that nations aiming to improve themselves in terms of national HRST productivity can use as a guideline.