The Global Competitiveness Report is released by which international organisation?

Introduction / Context:
The Global Competitiveness Report is an influential publication that ranks countries according to their competitiveness and ability to provide long term prosperity to their citizens. Because it is widely cited in media and policy discussions, exam questions often ask which organisation publishes this report. This checks your familiarity with major international economic institutions and their flagship publications.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The document in question is the Global Competitiveness Report.
• Possible issuing bodies are WTO, WEF, SAARC, EU and IMF.
• We assume awareness that some of these bodies are intergovernmental, while others are international forums.
• Exactly one organisation is known for releasing this particular report.

Concept / Approach:
The Global Competitiveness Report is produced by the World Economic Forum, a non governmental international organisation best known for its annual meeting in Davos. The report includes the Global Competitiveness Index and analyses institutional quality, infrastructure, macroeconomic stability and other factors. None of the other listed organisations issue a report by this exact name. The approach is to link the report's title to the World Economic Forum and eliminate institutions whose publications have different titles.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that the World Economic Forum regularly publishes the Global Competitiveness Report and other analytical documents on the world economy. Step 2: Note that the World Trade Organisation focuses on trade rules and issues reports such as the World Trade Report, not the Global Competitiveness Report. Step 3: SAARC is a regional cooperation body for South Asia and does not produce a global competitiveness ranking. Step 4: The European Union issues many reports on its own member states, but the Global Competitiveness Report is not one of its standard publications. Step 5: The International Monetary Fund produces the World Economic Outlook and Global Financial Stability Report, but again not the Global Competitiveness Report. Step 6: Therefore, the organisation responsible for releasing the Global Competitiveness Report is the World Economic Forum.

Verification / Alternative check:
To verify, think of the Davos meeting where global leaders discuss economic issues. The World Economic Forum often presents findings from the Global Competitiveness Report at these gatherings. If you search lists of WEF publications, this report is highlighted as a flagship product. In contrast, when you look at WTO, IMF or EU publications, you will find differently named documents focused on trade, macroeconomics or regional integration.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A, WTO, is wrong because the World Trade Organisation is concerned with global trade governance rather than broad competitiveness indices and does not release this report.

Option C, SAARC, is wrong because this regional organisation focuses on cooperation among South Asian countries and does not produce global rankings of competitiveness.

Option D, EU, is wrong because the European Union is a regional political and economic union whose reports usually cover internal policies and statistics for its member states, not a worldwide competitiveness index.

Option E, IMF, is wrong as the International Monetary Fund concentrates on macroeconomic surveillance and financial stability through reports like the World Economic Outlook, not the Global Competitiveness Report.

Common Pitfalls:
A common pitfall is to choose IMF or WTO simply because they are well known economic institutions. Another mistake is to think that only intergovernmental bodies can issue influential global reports, overlooking the role of forums like the World Economic Forum. To answer correctly, it helps to associate the phrase Global Competitiveness directly with the World Economic Forum and its Davos meetings.

Final Answer:
The Global Competitiveness Report is released by the World Economic Forum (WEF).