Identifying major driving factors of a country's export performance is challenging. In particular, existing empirical evidence on the role of non-price competitiveness (NPC) remains inconclusive and fragmented. This study aims to address this issue by examining the consistency and validity of NPC's established empirical measures within a European context. I employ both indirect NPC approaches and proxy measures to econometrically assess the NPC contribution to explaining exports. The analysis is based on a dataset encompassing ten major European countries over the period 1995–2019, using the income-and-price-elasticity framework. This study shows that there is no preferable method to assess NPC. The findings underscore the need to consider multiple indicators when conducting a thorough analysis of a country's NPC, as each provides distinct insights. The evidence generated reveals a consistent deterioration in NPC for Germany, France, and Italy. Conversely, Portugal has witnessed enhancements in key NPC factors, while mixed evidence arises for Austria, Belgium, Finland, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain.

中文翻译：

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评估非价格因素的作用：为欧洲竞争力难题提供新的视角

确定一个国家出口表现的主要驱动因素具有挑战性。特别是，关于非价格竞争力（NPC）作用的现有经验证据仍然不确定且支离破碎。本研究旨在通过检验 NPC 在欧洲背景下制定的实证措施的一致性和有效性来解决这个问题。我采用间接 NPC 方法和代理措施来经济计量地评估 NPC 对解释出口的贡献。该分析基于 1995 年至 2019 年期间涵盖欧洲十个主要国家的数据集，使用收入和价格弹性框架。这项研究表明，没有更好的方法来评估 NPC。研究结果强调，在对一个国家的全国人大进行彻底分析时需要考虑多个指标，因为每个指标都提供了独特的见解。产生的证据表明，德国、法国和意大利的 NPC 持续恶化。相反，葡萄牙的关键 NPC 因素有所增强，而奥地利、比利时、芬兰、荷兰、葡萄牙和西班牙的情况则好坏参半。