Finance & economics | Free exchange

Can the world’s most influential business index be fixed?

Two cheers for the World Bank’s new global business survey

Illustration of a clipboard with a world bank checklist clipped to it, with the list all ticked off. Pages above it have been ripped off and are scrunched up around it
Illustration: Álvaro Bernis

Everybody loves a league table. Across areas as varied as sports, education and consumer goods, competitive rankings have a magnetic appeal. The question of what or who rose, fell or clinched the top spot can lend a sense of drama to even the most strait-laced subjects.

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This article appeared in the Finance & economics section of the print edition under the headline “Ranked up”

From the October 12th 2024 edition

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