Il rapporto annuale sulla competitività globale del World Economic Forum. Competitività che, ai fini della costruzione del Global Competitiveness Index, viene definita "as the set of institutions, policies, and factors that determine the level of productivity of a country."
Il giudizio di sintesi sull'Italia è il seguente: "Italy moves up by five places to 43rd position this year, although it remains the lowest-ranked of the G-7 countries. Italy continues to do well in more complex areas measured by the GCI, particularly the sophistication of its businesses, where it is ranked 26th, producing goods high on the value chain with one of the world’s best business clusters (2nd). Italy also benefits from its large market size—the 9th largest in the world—which allows for significant economies of scale. However, Italy’s overall competitiveness performance continues to be hampered by some critical structural weaknesses in its economy. Its labor market remains extremely rigid, ranked 123rd for its labor market efficiency, hindering employment creation. Financial markets are not sufficiently developed to provide needed finance for business development (97th). Other institutional weaknesses include high levels of corruption and organized crime and a perceived lack of independence within the  judicial system, which increase business costs and undermine investor confidence—Italy is ranked 88th overall for its institutional environment."