Competitiveness and innovation in the context of the interdependencies between sustainable development and social progress in Peru
Keywords:
network analysis, competitiveness, innovation, sustainable development, social progressAbstract
Introduction: Contemporary development is configured as a complex system of interdependencies among competitiveness, innovation, sustainable development, and social progress, where structural relationships are non-linear, systemic, and multidimensional. The objective of the study was to analyze competitiveness and innovation in relation to the interdependencies between sustainable development and social progress in Peru. Materials and methods: A quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted based on network analysis of indicators from CEPLAN (2026), carried out in Peru between January and June 2026. Purposive sampling of strategic indicators was applied, and an interdependence matrix was used to identify influence and dependency relationships among variables. Results: Sustainable development exhibited 13 total connections (100% incoming and 0% outgoing), positioning it as a highly dependent node within the system. Its relationships were associated with indicators such as HDI, Gini index, poverty, competitiveness, innovation, governance, and real GDP, evidencing a multidimensional dependency structure. Social progress registered 6 total connections (4 incoming, equivalent to 66.7%, and 2 outgoing, equivalent to 33.3%), acting as an articulating node between competitiveness and sustainable development. The network showed a predominance of strong links, with full connectivity across economic, social, and institutional dimensions, and no isolated nodes. Discussion: The findings confirm a non-linear development system in which social progress operates as a structural mediator and sustainable development emerges as an integrated outcome of multiple determinants. Conclusions: Competitiveness, innovation, sustainable development, and social progress form an interdependent system characterized by structural dependency relationships and functional articulation.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Jenny Edith Quispe Quispe, Yadira Argota Pérez, Juan Carlos Apaza Paucara, Carlos Roger Apaza Flores , Yvonne Jacqueline Pecho Riveros

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