Comparative advantages of Bulgarian production and exports

Abstract

The present study focuses on the analysis of the competitiveness and the comparative advantages of Bulgarian production and exports. It is structured in two parts. The first part summarizes the positions of Bulgaria in the index of global competitiveness and the more important criteria related to foreign trade. In the second part some theoretical concepts for comparative competitive advantages are systematized. Out of them the indices of B. Belasa and M. Amir have been chosen and calculated and on this basis the conclusions about the comparative advantages and disadvantages of the Bulgarian production and export of certain commodities and commodity groups, manifested in 2012-2016, are drawn. Stepping on these conclusions the possibilities for expanding or restricting the export of specific commodity groups and for increasing the competitiveness of the Bulgarian economy are systematized. In this research mathematical and statistical methods are applied, mostly the index method, along with methods of analysis and synthesis.