The competitiveness of Latin-American economies: Consolidation of the double diamond theory

The aim of this research is to assess the competitiveness of countries through the development of a new model, which is much simpler than those currently in use. The premise of this research is based on the fact that the current models contain numerous indicators/measures and cannot be applied to other contexts, such as the Latin American (LA) one. Based on the "diamond competitiveness" approach, we developed a model for the LA economies (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela). Our model has clear implications for both academics and policymakers and could help design state policies to improve economic growth, especially for the less developed LA economies. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.