This paper aims to discuss the concept of the competitiviness being taken I into consideration important institucional aspects. To do so a review of studies that discuss the concept strictly from an economic point of view and their limits in a context of transformation of the current world. Due to markets reorganization and to the new sources of competitiveness, the perspective of working with a wider concept that facilitates an articulation between economy and social organization opens up. Although of smaller operational power, that perspective offers alternative for analysis of the new competitiveness sources, as cultural, institutional and geographic aspects.