Research background: The choice of the issue of international competitive-ness of economies as the research problem addressed in this paper has been mainly dictated by the changes observed in the nature of the development of EU economies and the need to assess the competitiveness of the Polish economy. It is time to evaluate and learn from the largest enlargement in the history of the EU which took place in May 2004. An assessment of changes in the state of EU economies, including the Polish economy, is in the centre of research interest of many scientists. National competitiveness is the subject of a great deal of research and economic studies. Integration and globalisation processes in the world economy are the main reasons for the popularity of this topic. The efficient use of sources and factors determining the competitiveness of economies, sectors and enterprises is associated with prosperity over the long term. One of the methods based on the observation of selected basic indicators of economic competitiveness is the method of analysis called the macroeconomic stabilisation pentagon. The method illustrates the extent to which the government achieves five macroeconomic objectives. It is very difficult, if not impossible, to meet all these objectives at the same time. The difficulty of meeting all these goals concurrently is due to the fact that they are more or less competitive rather than complementary. The proposed assessment of competitiveness based on the developed model of macroeconomic stabilisation pentagon is a unique approach in terms of discussion of country?s competitiveness. This approach significantly distinguishes the current study in comparison with standard international reports on competitiveness such as the Global Competitiveness Index or the EU Regional Competitiveness Index. Purpose of the article: The main aim of the paper is to assess the competitiveness of EU economies in the years 2005?2018, based on a selected set of diagnostic variables referring to the concept of macroeconomic stabilisation pentagon. The paper also formulates a detailed list of four research hypotheses. Methods: In order to characterise the competitiveness of the European Union economies, including the EU?15 and EU?13 groups, as well as the Visegrad group, six diagnostic variables affecting the economic situation of individual EU countries were analysed. The variables for analysis were chosen so as to reliably describe the competitive position of a given country, at the same time referring in a substantive sense to the concept of macroeconomic stabilisation pentagon. The linear ordering of objects was made using the reference Hellwig method. The selected method enabled the development of competitiveness rankings of EU Member States in the years 2005, 2009, and 2018. Findings & Value added: The comparative analysis of the main macroeconomic indicators conducted in the paper forms the basis for assessing the cur-rent state of the EU economy in relation to other countries. In the paper, the authors depart from the standard elaboration of ?magic pentagon.? Instead, they apply the variables used in the macroeconomic stabilisation pentagon analysis to develop competitiveness rankings of EU Member States. The con-ducted empirical study has confirmed that the 15th anniversary of EU member-ship had a decidedly positive impact on the level of economic development of the EU?13 countries.

The e-commerce sector has experienced significant growth in the past two decades, outpacing other economic sectors and contributing to sustainable consumption, increased labour productivity, competitiveness, consumer incomes, and GDP growth. This trend is expected to continue, making e-commerce a key driver of sustainable economic growth in Europe. This study aims to explore the relationship between a nation’s innovation level and its population’s inclination towards online shopping in various EU member states. It hypothesizes that higher innovation levels within a country lead to a greater tendency for online purchases. This study conducts a thorough analysis of the interplay between European economies’ innovation levels and the e-commerce market’s evolution. A composite innovation index was created using the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) methodology, and panel data models were utilized to examine the dependencies, with data from Eurostat and the Global Innovation Index. The focus is on the period from 2019 to 2021, which was marked by unique market dynamics and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings confirm the significant role of innovation in driving e-commerce expansion within the context of sustainable consumption, supporting the main hypothesis. This research also highlights the pandemic’s positive effect on the e-commerce sector. The pandemic-induced changes in consumer behaviour, particularly due to social isolation and crises in certain economic sectors, have emphasized the importance of online shopping. Notably, the most active online shoppers are identified in the 25 to 54 age group, revealing a key demographic trend.

Research background: A given region's investment attractiveness is a set of conditions that depend primarily on the policy of the country that is the recipient of direct foreign investment, encouraging or discouraging foreign investors from making decisions about locating investments in a given area. These conditions include the economic conditions, the infrastructure, the political and legal system, the business environment, and the sociocultural environment. a foreign investor, the motive for exporting capital abroad is the search for benefits that can be derived from the business activity conducted there, including easier entry into new markets. Purpose of the article: The main aim of the paper is to distinguish groups of voivodeships (NUTS 2 level) that are relatively homogeneous in terms of investment attractiveness, which is conducive to the inflow of foreign capital and the implementation of investment projects involving foreign capital. Methods: Distinguishing groups of voivodeships similar to each other in terms of the level of investment attractiveness is made by applying hierarchical cluster analysis. The dendrogram illustrates the hierarchical structure of clusters of similar objects according to the analysed set of variables. The quality of the clustering result is also assessed by determining the silhouette index. Comparative and descriptive analysis of CSO statistics are additional methods used that have contributed to the achievement of the aim of the paper. The research period covers the years 2000?2018. Findings & value added: The investment attractiveness of a voivodeship is closely related to the level of its economic development. Therefore, the following voivodeships are listed at the top of the investment attractiveness rankings: Mazowieckie, Dolnośląskie, Śląskie, Małopolskie, and Pomorskie. The conducted study has confirmed that the creation of special economic zones and the development of regional smart specialisations contribute to the inflow of foreign capital. It is worth noting that the assessment of investment attractiveness is relative. The comparison of the innovative attractiveness of voivodeships is based on the use of the average value, overestimated by cities, i.e. central hubs, attracting investors. The regional perspective on investment attractiveness using multi-dimensional statistical analysis methods is the added value of the article.

The effective operation of national innovation systems can be a source of many opportunities, but it cannot be forgotten that innovation in itself may mean limiting but also generating various types of risks for the functioning of the local market. The main aim of the article is to present the concept and classification of national innovation systems in the world and to try to answer whether the type of NIS determines the level of innovation of the economies of the European Union countries. The following research thesis was formulated in the study: the type of National Innovation System determines a certain level of innovation in the economy of an European Union country, i.e., in countries belonging to a developed NIS, the level of innovation of the economy is higher than in countries belonging to developing systems. The results of the analysis confirm the research thesis. In the empirical part, the level of innovation in the European Union countries was assessed using the synthetic measure of development (SMD) by Z. Hellwig. Based on the obtained values of the synthetic measure of development (innovation), a ranking of the innovation of the economies of the EU countries was compiled and groups of countries with a similar degree of innovation in the economy were distinguished. The developed ranking of the European Union countries was compared with the NSI classification presented in the theoretical part of the article. The study covered 2010 and 2019.

Research background: The paper presents the issue of total factor productivity in the manufacturing industry in Poland. It has been assumed that total factor productivity (TFP) is a synthetic measure of efficiency of the production process and a measure of the impact of technical progress on the rate of economic growth. Purpose of the article: The main aim of the paper is to assess the differentiation in the level of total factor productivity (TFP) occurring among the Section C manufacturing divisions in Poland. In particular, the paper raises the issue of measuring and analysing the relationship between expenditure on research and development and the level of TFP in manufacturing divisions in Poland. Methods: In the presented research, the TFP level was determined by using the two-factor Cobb-Douglas production function, while econometric panel models were used to assess the studied relationship. Findings & Value added: The presented considerations show that manufacturing divisions in Poland are diversified in terms of total factor productivity. Generally, manufacturing divisions with high R&D intensity, i.e. divisions classified as so-called high-tech ones, are characterised by a high TFP level. The econometric analysis carried out allows us to conclude that expenditure on R&D incurred in manufacturing enterprises significantly affects the level of TFP.