Exploring the connectivity between work inclinations and country competitiveness levels: a cross-country analysis

This paper examines the relationship between culture and country competitiveness along one specific dimension of culture, namely a populaces' tendency towards being work inclined vs. being leisure inclined. We base the study on Taylorism and the notion that a high-work inclination leads to greater efficiency and competitiveness. The results surprisingly reveal that a leisure inclination, not work inclination, is positively correlated to greater levels of country competitiveness. Two explanations emerge that elucidate this unexpected outcome. Firstly, high country competitiveness fosters an environment that allows for greater leisure focus and secondly, higher wages in the highly competitive countries allow for quicker accrual of survival necessities, which frees more time for leisure inclinations. Taken together, this challenges the contemporary view on the positive affiliation between work inclinations and competitiveness and provides a deeper understanding of the behavioural repercussions connected to the achieved competitiveness levels of countries.