The role of city rankings in local public policy design: Urban competitiveness and economic press

Abstract

The objective of this research is to identify the factors that determine the capacity of city rankings published in the economic press—particularly The Economist Intelligence Unit and AméricaEconomía—to not only trigger social dialogue about the ratings different territories attain but also to enrich the public debate on the “competitive city model” and influence the design and implementation of local public policies on the matter. The research method involved interviews with public officials responsible for the design and implementation of urban competitiveness policies in the following Mexican cities: Mexico City, Monterrey, Puebla, and Queretaro, all of which are listed in the rankings of the journals The Economist Intelligence Unit and AméricaEconomía. The field research included an interview with the editor responsible for conceptualizing, preparing, and publishing the first version of “The Best Cities to Do Business in Latin America” ranking of the journal AméricaEconomía. It also included a comparative analysis of city indexes from the theoretic and conceptual perspective of space of flows. The investigation was conducted between March and August 2017.