An overly developed competitive streak can cause trouble. But the US, knocked from the top spot in the World Economic Forum's report on global competitiveness, may still feel peeved. Switzerland, which the US just finished berating as an offshore tax haven, rose one slot to top the table by the slightest of margins. The WEF report aims to capture the determinants of productivity and long-run prosperity, with weightings varied to reflect a country's stage of development. The US, however, seems to have fallen foul of a shorter-term reaction to the past year's events.
過度發達的競爭力有可能帶來麻煩。但從世界經濟論壇(World Economic Forum)全球競爭力報告的頭把交椅上跌落，可能還是會讓美國惱羞成怒。瑞士上升一位，以極微弱的優勢拔得頭籌，而不久前美國還在對這個離岸避稅天堂大加指責。世界經濟論壇的報告考慮的是生產力和長期繁榮的決定因素，並使用不同權重來反映一個國家的發展階段。然而，美國似乎是因爲對去年危機事件的一項短期應對措施而翻船。