Comments on: Competitiveness rankings http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/2009/09/08/competitiveness-rankings/ A slice of lime in the soda Sat, 25 May 2013 00:03:13 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 By: Grrrr... http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/2009/09/08/competitiveness-rankings/comment-page-1/#comment-6554 Grrrr... Wed, 09 Sep 2009 17:26:13 +0000 http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/2009/09/08/competitiveness-rankings/#comment-6554 Why don't they call it for what it is: "The list of countries most likely to suck vast wealth from other nations at the expense of millions of human beings and not have any conscience whatsoever at the epic human misery (not to mention the environmental degradation) it causes." Seems like the lower you are on the list, the more likely its citizens can wake up not feeling completely filthy about themselves. Why don’t they call it for what it is: “The list of countries most likely to suck vast wealth from other nations at the expense of millions of human beings and not have any conscience whatsoever at the epic human misery (not to mention the environmental degradation) it causes.”

Seems like the lower you are on the list, the more likely its citizens can wake up not feeling completely filthy about themselves.

]]> By: Lance Knobel http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/2009/09/08/competitiveness-rankings/comment-page-1/#comment-6532 Lance Knobel Wed, 09 Sep 2009 01:50:50 +0000 http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/2009/09/08/competitiveness-rankings/#comment-6532 Oh, they go back way before 1996. That just happens to be one I still have in my bookshelves. Stephane Garelli, now at IMD, started the World Competitiveness Report in the early '80s, I think. Oh, they go back way before 1996. That just happens to be one I still have in my bookshelves. Stephane Garelli, now at IMD, started the World Competitiveness Report in the early ’80s, I think.

]]> By: jgo http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/2009/09/08/competitiveness-rankings/comment-page-1/#comment-6521 jgo Tue, 08 Sep 2009 20:18:36 +0000 http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/2009/09/08/competitiveness-rankings/#comment-6521 GIGO. They need to ask someone who does not have a personal financial interest in further tilting the playing fields of the economy into their own pockets. "If you'll only make these changes to drain more productivity into my pocket, 'competitiveness' will be better. wink wink nudge nudge" GIGO. They need to ask someone who does not have a personal financial interest in further tilting the playing fields of the economy into their own pockets. “If you’ll only make these changes to drain more productivity into my pocket, ‘competitiveness’ will be better. wink wink nudge nudge”

]]> By: Lance Knobel http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/2009/09/08/competitiveness-rankings/comment-page-1/#comment-6515 Lance Knobel Tue, 08 Sep 2009 18:58:33 +0000 http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/2009/09/08/competitiveness-rankings/#comment-6515 The competitiveness rankings go back much further than 2001. I have the report from 1996 (edited by me) sitting in front of me. Singapore 1st, Hong Kong 2nd. US was fourth and Switzerland was 6th. The methodology has changed at various points over the years. It all started as the World Competitiveness Report, and was a joint venture between WEF and IMD, the Swiss business school. But there was a falling out and competitiveness in competitiveness reports resulted. So IMD went on to publish its own World Competitiveness Yearbook (still going) and WEF renamed its effort the Global Competitiveness Report. The most interesting aspect of being involved with this in the '90s was the tussle we had with MIT economist Paul Krugman, who thought the whole idea of measuring country competitiveness was anathema. Whatever happened to him? The competitiveness rankings go back much further than 2001. I have the report from 1996 (edited by me) sitting in front of me. Singapore 1st, Hong Kong 2nd. US was fourth and Switzerland was 6th.

The methodology has changed at various points over the years. It all started as the World Competitiveness Report, and was a joint venture between WEF and IMD, the Swiss business school. But there was a falling out and competitiveness in competitiveness reports resulted. So IMD went on to publish its own World Competitiveness Yearbook (still going) and WEF renamed its effort the Global Competitiveness Report.

The most interesting aspect of being involved with this in the ’90s was the tussle we had with MIT economist Paul Krugman, who thought the whole idea of measuring country competitiveness was anathema. Whatever happened to him?

]]> By: Matthew http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/2009/09/08/competitiveness-rankings/comment-page-1/#comment-6514 Matthew Tue, 08 Sep 2009 18:49:18 +0000 http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/2009/09/08/competitiveness-rankings/#comment-6514 And historically they have no relationship with future growth (which presumably is the point of them). See this post looking at the indices in the early 1990s (which Japan always topped!) http://www.matthewturner.co.uk/Blog/2005/09/competitiveness.html And historically they have no relationship with future growth (which presumably is the point of them). See this post looking at the indices in the early 1990s (which Japan always topped!)

http://www.matthewturner.co.uk/Blog/2005  /09/competitiveness.html

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