The U.S. ranked second in another nonsense-based rank of the competitiveness of major nations. This survey was done by Swiss-based business school IMD. The research gives the school a tiny bit of publicity each year.
The school describe how its system works:
The WCY rankings measure how well countries manage their economic and human resources to increase their prosperity.
The winners are about the same as usual when these kind of horse shows are put on. Global financial capitals Hong Kong, Switzerland and Singapore were three of the top four. Each has little more to manage beyond capital and trade. The U.S. was No. 3, based on financial might and resources.
The next tier contains another set of nations that almost always do well. The resource-rich and socialist Scandinavian nations, which include Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland, are in the top 17 nations. The financial and industrial center of Europe — Germany — sits in ninth place. Also near the top are nations that have no claim to economic prosperity beyond oil — Qatar and UAE.
The bottom of the list could also be guessed by most well-educated adults — Greece, Venezuela, Croatia and Ukraine.
At least the U.S. gets a pat on the back:
Despite all its setbacks, the US remains at the center of world competitiveness because of its unique economic power, the dynamism of its enterprises and its capacity for innovation.
What a waste of intellectual resources.
Douglas A. McIntyre
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