No abstract

This paper analyses the pattern of trade specialization in Lithuania. The pattern of specialization is at the core of the international trade theory. The significance of the international trade lies in the fact that countries are not required to produce all their consumption goods; instead they can specialize in the production of certain goods. Many studies suggest that the more developed the country is; the more specialized is the structure of international trade and, therefore, a larger part of trade within a branch dominates in the total scope of international trade. The globalization and integration processes have a major impact on the international trade system. Lithuania's integration into the European Union has opened huge possibilities for Lithuanian international trade. Research shows that it has also influenced changes of trade specialization. At the same time, the research investigating such changes is missing. For this reason the actual problem is to estimate the pattern of Lithuanian trade specialization under existing conditions. The objective of this paper is to analyze the pattern of trade specialization of Lithuania under existing conditions.

No abstract

This paper investigates the nature and pattern of export specialization in Lithuania. The aim of this paper is to estimate the nature and pattern of Lithuanian export specialization under the existing conditions. Seeking to define the nature and pattern of export specialization, the basic methods of export specialization measurement and the nature and pattern of export specialization in trade between Lithuania and the EU are determined. For measurement of the pattern of export specialization in Lithuania two approaches are adopted. The index of export specialization is used to determine the pattern of comparative advantage. Secondly, trade dissimilarity index is used to predict structural changes in Lithuanian exports. Using these methods of measurement and standard international trade classification (SITC), the nature and pattern of Lithuanian export specialization was determined. It was found that the biggest flows from Lithuania to the EU are in the following groups: food, drink and tobacco; raw materials; mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials. These calculation results show the main directions of nature and pattern of export specialization. This research could be useful for preparing and forecasting the possibilities of Lithuanian export development.

Authors of the article aim to show what role higher education play in economic development. They argue that modernization and transformation of the economy mostly depend on knowledge-based economy. Smart, sustainable, and inclusive economic growth are based and strongly related to higher education. When analyzing higher education, the share of the population with tertiary education (in the total population aged 15–64 years) was chosen to study. For the evaluation of these relations in Lithuania and the EU-28 the period of 2005–2013 was analyzed, and the year 2005 was chosen as the base year. The research results and calculated Pearson correlation coefficient revealed that the share of the population with tertiary education (in the total population aged 15–64 years) has a significant impact on the share of human resources in science and technology, research and development expenditure and real adjusted gross disposable income of households per capita in Lithuania and most other countries of the EU-28.. Keywords: Economic development, economic modernization, higher education, research and development expenditure;