Increasingly Rank: The Use and Misuse of Rankings in Economic Development

Cortright, Joseph; Mayer, Heike (2004). Increasingly Rank: The Use and Misuse of Rankings in Economic Development. Economic development quarterly, 18(1), pp. 34-43. Sage Publications 10.1177/0891242403260285

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Debates over the merits of competing schemes for ranking metropolitan areas as hightech centers shed little light on the important policy questions that should be the core of economic development policy. There are no strong theoretical reasons for preferring one ranking system to others. Rankings often conflate different industries and ignore history, obscuring the varied and often idiosyncratic processes that drive growth in different regions. Although an occupational perspective is a useful one for examining economic activity, it is a supplement to, not a replacement for, a careful understanding of metropolitan industrial specialization. Practitioners should not put too much weight on any ranking system but instead should work to develop detailed knowledge of their region’s special economic niche and to develop relationships and strategies that build on established strengths.

Item Type:	Journal Article (Original Article)
Division/Institute:	08 Faculty of Science > Institute of Geography > Human Geography > Unit Economic Geography 08 Faculty of Science > Institute of Geography
UniBE Contributor:	Mayer, Heike
Subjects:	700 Arts > 710 Landscaping & area planning 300 Social sciences, sociology & anthropology 300 Social sciences, sociology & anthropology > 330 Economics
ISSN:	0891-2424
Publisher:	Sage Publications
Language:	English
Submitter:	Claudia Baumann
Date Deposited:	24 Aug 2015 13:23
Last Modified:	05 Dec 2022 14:48
Publisher DOI:	10.1177/0891242403260285
URI:	https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/71113