This paper attempts to contribute to the development of a modern competitiveness theory through a more systemic approach. After presenting some of its main considerations, the paper explores the Hungarian competitiveness based upon the data of the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook. Hungary seems to get stucked in converging to the European average in terms of GDP per capita and lends support to the impression that by now Hungary has become an outsider among the Visegrád countries. The paper draws some general recommendations useful not only in the academic research, but also in economic policy engineering.