Technical change and competitiveness in engineering goods: Some European data

This article addresses the question of the relative importance of nonprice factors, and in particular product-embodied technical change, in determining the export competitiveness of engineering goods. Detailed data on patents, import-export unit value ratios, and the opinions of machinery users are presented, taken from studies of the European textile machinery and agricultural engineering industries. Given the declining competitiveness of U.S. firms in both these areas, the data and conclusions have real relevance to U.S. engineering management.