If Russia can maintain its political stability and tap its immense resource wealth, then it may be among the top countries—along with China, Singapore, and India—poised to rule the global economy.   South Africa and Mexico are at crucial junctures in their development, while the U.S. needs to deal now with problems in foreign policy, fiscal deficits and cumulative current account deficits to maintain its position as the “strongest economy in the world.”

So says the author of How Countries Compete: Strategy, Structure, and Government in the Global Economy (HBS Press Book, March 13, 2007).   “I am trying to show that governments create the overall environment for successful competition in the global economy,” says author and Harvard Professor Richard Vietor. “Bad government can only lead to less competitive businesses.”   The new release is available at HBS Online.