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

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  • Joseph Cortright
  • Heike Mayer

Abstract

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.

Suggested Citation

  • Joseph Cortright & Heike Mayer, 2004. "Increasingly Rank: the Use and Misuse of Rankings in Economic Development," Economic Development Quarterly, , vol. 18(1), pages 34-39, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:ecdequ:v:18:y:2004:i:1:p:34-39
    DOI: 10.1177/0891242403260285
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. David, Paul A, 1985. "Clio and the Economics of QWERTY," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 75(2), pages 332-337, May.
    2. Ann Markusen, 1996. "Sticky Places in Slippery Space: A Typology of Industrial Districts," Economic Geography, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 72(3), pages 293-313, July.
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    Cited by:

    1. Heike Mayer, 2006. "What is the Role of Universities in High-tech Economic Development? The Case of Portland, Oregon, and Washington, DC," Local Economy, London South Bank University, vol. 21(3), pages 292-315, August.
    2. repec:rre:publsh:v:38:y:2008:i:2:p:121-43 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Karen Chapple & Ann Markusen & Greg Schrock & Daisaku Yamamoto & Pingkang Yu, 2004. "Rejoinder: High-Tech Rankings, Specialization, and Relationship to Growth," Economic Development Quarterly, , vol. 18(1), pages 44-49, February.
    4. Eathington, Liesl & Todd, Aaron L. & Swenson, David A., 2005. "Weathering the Storm of Business Climate Rankings," Staff General Research Papers Archive 13157, Iowa State University, Department of Economics.
    5. Yasuyuki Motoyama, 2008. "What Was New About the Cluster Theory?," Economic Development Quarterly, , vol. 22(4), pages 353-363, November.
    6. Jeremy L. Hall, 2007. "Developing Historical 50-State Indices of Innovation Capacity and Commercialization Capacity," Economic Development Quarterly, , vol. 21(2), pages 107-123, May.
    7. David L. Barkley & Rebekka M. Dudensing, 2011. "Industrial Legacy Matters: Implications for the Development and Use of Indices of Regional Competitiveness," Economic Development Quarterly, , vol. 25(2), pages 130-142, May.

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