This article describes a conceptual model of kechnology absorption and adaptation leading to a cozintly's export-based conipetitiveness i n high-technology products, and the results of the mwiel's application to empirical data on 29 countries. The model is one output of a rec(?nily-completed, jive-year investigation of indicators of hightechnology development. The model's sezren conceptual variables were operationalized by combining statistical data with expert-derived measures to produce composite indicators.
The seven indicators includt? four "leading" or infact indicators that are expected to be predictive of a nation's competitiveness ,in hzgh-techndogy products i n approximately 15years, and three output indicators of current ~ompetit~iz~eness: world market share, national emphasis on high technology b~oducts f o r export, and recent rate of change i n world market share. Extensive asse.wmmt of the validity and reliability of the indicators leads to the conclusion that the mode!! is a useful tool ,for both policy and research.