Forthcoming

The first issue of “Geoeconomics Briefs” will be available for downloading from our website as of mid-October 2008.

These bi-monthly notes are designed to provide technical and analytical support to people working in the field of local and regional economic development. They can be used for reality checks and quality-testing or challenging external consultants’ reports and government reviews. They aim to promote more questioning and independent thinking, and improved analysis and evidence for economic development policymaking, planning and evaluation.

The October Brief “League Tables Should Carry Health Warnings” takes a critical look at national league tables claiming to show how well or badly local authority areas are performing economically, socially and environmentally. These capture media attention and stir local politicians – where’s Britain’s fattest, most indebted or un-happiest community – and hence have great marketing value for consultants. But we think that league table reports and performance assessments based on national rankings should carry serious health warnings! The Guardian Bad Science column agrees that these are bad science (see The Guardian September 6th 2008).

We address a straightforward question: how statistically significant are differences in local rankings in national economic league tables? Does it matter whether a local authority is ranked 40th or 240th? We show that national league tables can produce an exaggerated or even false picture of the state of the nation. The Brief provides guidance on what to look out for when using league table analysis and offers more scientifically sound and common sense ways of assessing social and economic performance.

If you are also sceptical about league tables and have experience or comments you’d like to share, please get in touch with Mark Hepworth at mark@geoeconomics.co.uk

Latest News

The first issue of Geoeconomics Briefs was launched this December and is now available for downloading from the website.
This technical paper reveals the pitfalls in using ‘league tables’ to assess local economic performance on the basis of earnings indicators. The ‘name and shame’ or ‘winners and losers’ thrust of league tables makes them attractive to the national and local press, but we reveal why they are ‘bad science’ and should carry health warnings. The Briefs are meant for serious-minded UK policy-makers and professionals who favour a robust and transparent approach to carrying out local economic assessments. The second issue out in January 2009 puts the Employment Rate under the microscope.

We have formed a strategic partnership with The Research Unit (TRU), a specialist in business and social surveys.
This link-up follows our successful surveying-mapping projects on social enterprise in Wales and business needs in Berkshire. Up-to-date, targeted and designed for local priorities, primary survey data make up for the obvious gaps and inadequacies of secondary ONS data on the local economy. Combined with our strong GIS and advanced spatial analysis capabilities, Geoeconomics can provide a complete service for economic assessments, policy targeting and monitoring and evaluation.

We are researching the ‘green economy’ as an important future dimension of economic development with specialists from the London School of Economics.
Given major shortcomings in traditional ONS classifications and data sources, we have decided to explore the frontiers of research on the ‘green economy’, as a complex web of economic activities that cut across sector boundaries. The first stage of basic research (policy and market concept mapping) will be followed by pilot work with the London Borough of Bexley.