Operationalising an indicator systemOperationalising an indicator systemCity functions City functions

Peter Schmitt – Alexandre DuboisNordregio

VASAB WG1 meeting

25th June, 2007Riga

From indicators to significates (data)From indicators to significates (data)

indicators shall (literally spoken) “indicate” our common indicators shall (literally spoken) “indicate” our common understanding of those urban functions we are interested inunderstanding of those urban functions we are interested in

they shall give answers on they shall give answers on whatwhat should be measured (and finally should be measured (and finally indicated)indicated) this should be based on our theoretical/practical/political etc. reflections this should be based on our theoretical/practical/political etc. reflections

but indicators have to be operationalised by significates (!) but indicators have to be operationalised by significates (!)(these are the empirical/statistical data we have to obtain which shall (these are the empirical/statistical data we have to obtain which shall characterise the indicators at best)characterise the indicators at best)

comparisons might be restricted due to different available data comparisons might be restricted due to different available data

i.e. i.e. no ranking/no benchmarking no ranking/no benchmarking would lead to misleading would lead to misleading interpretations anyway …interpretations anyway …

… … our initial idea has been rather to identify SWOTs for future our initial idea has been rather to identify SWOTs for future priorities in politics and planningpriorities in politics and planning

To start off: Some remarks and open questions I

The The Reliablity of data has to be checked - i.e. their sources and techniques of collection

Which metropolitan regions/SMESTOs should Which metropolitan regions/SMESTOs should be studied?be studied?

- - we need a we need a mutually agreed understanding/definitionmutually agreed understanding/definition (!) (!)- we should - we should avoid any arbitrary demarcationsavoid any arbitrary demarcations at the regional at the regional level (!)level (!)

Which year/time-spans?Which year/time-spans?- - has to be considered individually (3 to 5 latest available years)has to be considered individually (3 to 5 latest available years)

Nordregio will come up with further proposals how to Nordregio will come up with further proposals how to organise/format the data…organise/format the data…… and will then assemble and compile them in a readable … and will then assemble and compile them in a readable format (maps, diagrams etc.) format (maps, diagrams etc.)

To start off: Some remarks and open questions II

Metropolitan Regions as nodes in the Metropolitan Regions as nodes in the global/European space of flowsglobal/European space of flows

1) Decision, control and service function

a) Firms and capital

- Headquarter of ‘Global Player’ here Financial Times ranking lists: Europe’s 500 largest companies plus Eastern Europe’s 100 largest companies: can be provided by Nordregio

- Financial Services and Insurances of international importance a first list can be provided by Nordregio (should be supplemented by national experts at a later stage)

- Further advanced producer services of international importance (e.g. accountancy, marketing, management consulting) can be provided by Nordregio

Source: Hanell/Neubauer (2005: 16)

1) Decision, control and service function

b) Politics and civil society => a detailed manual for this will be provided by mid-August

- International public/political organisations lists of UN, EU and BSR-related Institutions including location, website, number of employees

- Embassies/consulates, international courts lists of those including location, website

- NGOs, international associations and lobby organisations lists of those including location, website, number of employees

2) Generation and distribution of knowledge, values and attitudes

a) Higher Education and Research

- Universities lists of those: location, websites, students (plus separated foreign students), research staff (a detailed manual will be provided by mid-August)

- Centres of excellence (or other specific high-ranked public financed research facilities): lists of those: location, websites, research staff (at least e.g. 50!) (a detailed manual will be provided by mid-August)

- Language skills (a detailed manual will be provided by mid-August)

- qualitative assessment of universities according to the study of the Institute of Higher Education of Shanghai Jiao Tong University (only 2000 universities have been analysed) apart from Moscow only the Nordic Countries and GER are included! decision: shall be canceled)

2) Generation and distribution of knowledge, values and attitudes

b) Private research and development

- Employees in R&D (EUROSTAT data only NUTS 2: here “human resources in S&T” can be provided by Nordregio)

- Employees in knowledge-intensive APS (EUROSTAT data only NUTS 2: here “employees in knowledge-intensive market services can be provided by Nordregio)

- Employees in technological oriented branches (EUROSTAT data only NUTS 2: here “employees in knowledge intensive industries” can be provided by Nordregio)

- patents by private firms and public research institutions (EUROSTAT data only NUTS 2: here “patent applications filed at the EPO” can be provided by Nordregio)

Problem: geographic resolution! Need for gathering relative similar (reliable) data sets at a finer geographic scale (national experts are asked to check as soon as possible what kind of data are available at NUTS 3 level or even below that match these characteristics at best mentioned above)

- High-Tech start-ups ? (shall be cancelled !)

- “interlock connectivities of cities” (here: indirect calculation of flows of information between different offices of international APS based on studies of the Globalisation and World Cities study Group (GAWC) of the Loughborough University)cf. Taylor (2004): World City Network. A Global Urban Analysis. London, New York: Routledge. 241 pages can be provided by Nordregio

3) Gateway-function

a) Access to human resources

- Airports number of flights/passengers (list of those including location, name of the airport and website) plus number of weekly flights to non-European destinations

- railway stations number of weekly international trains with a stop in the MR at hand (list of those trains including their origin and destination)

Ports are integrated under the indicator c) “access to markets”

A detailed manual will be provided by mid-August. However, we think that this is rather an easy task so that national experts can start to indentify and gather those data a.s.a.p.

- potential international accessibility by road/rail/air (according to ESPON 4.1.3) can be provided by Nordregio (even at the level at the BSR)

3) Gateway-function

b) Access to knowledge => a detailed manual for this will be provided by mid-August

- (scientific) libraries list of those including place, website and number of books/medias (here just those should be listed with more than 200,000 books/medias)

- international publishers (only headquarters) list of those including place, website and number of staff (make sure that they do not serve only the national market!) (shall be canceled!)

- international magazines/newspapers (only headquarters) list of those including place, website and number of staff (make sure that they do not serve only the national market!)

- public television/radio station/broadcaster (of national/international scope) list of those including place, website and number of staff (make sure that they do not serve only the national market!)

3) Gateway-function

c) Access to markets => a detailed manual for this will be provided by

mid-August

- international fairs list of those including place, website and number of visitors a year (make sure that they do not serve only the national market!)

- international oriented exhibitions per year list of those including place and website and number of visitors a year (make sure that they do not serve only the national market!)

- accommodations here yearly number of those (to be cancelled?)

- Air Cargo –> list of airports including place and website and the yearly air cargo in mill. tons

- Cargo of ports –> list of ports including place and website and the yearly air cargo in mill. Tons

4) Symbolic function

=> a detailed manual for this will be provided by mid-August…

- theatre/museums list of those including place, website and number of visitors a year (make sure that they do have an international reputation)

- UNESCO world heritages list of those including place and website and number of visitors a year

- other cultural heritages list of those including place and website and number of visitors a year

- international oriented brandings of international scope of the MR as a whole list of those including duration, initiator, website within the time-span 2000-2006/7

… but we think that national experts could start to indentify and gather those data a.s.a.p.

(other) urban (other) urban regionsregions as distinct as distinct knowledge-based places for the BSRknowledge-based places for the BSR

1) Analysis of the socio-economic profile

- Demographic indications (see other presentation)

Labour market- Employment structure primary/manufacturing and service sector- Employment rate share of overall population aged 15-64- Unemployment rate- employment in high- and medium high-tech manufacturing (see before)- employment in knowledge intensive market services (see before)

- GDP in PPS per capita (at NUTS 2/3)

Those data are for the most part available in the Nordregio data base for the time-span 1995-2001 (cf. Hanell/Neubauer (2005): Cities of the BSR) data should be supplemented by national experts, the data availability, sources and definitions can be checked a.s.a.p. (Hereby, please consider the study by Hanell/Neubauer for further clarifications/definitions!!!)

Geographic position Accessibility- potential international accessibility by road/rail/air (according to ESPON 4.1.3)

can be provided by Nordregio, see before!

2) Analysis of the Knowledge functions

a) Higher Education and Research => a detailed manual for this will be provided by mid-August

- Human resources in science and technology (see before)

- Universities lists of those: location, websites, students (plus separated foreign stduents), research staff (see before)

- accessibility of other universities or other type of higher-education facility in km bee-line from the central point of the main city (???)

- Centres of excellence (or other specific high-ranked public financed research facilities): lists of those: location, websites, research staff (see before)

- Language skills (a detailed manual will be provided by mid-August)

Moreover, a qualitative assessment of (potential) sectoral strengths should be drafted by national experts: To which knowledge-based profiles and in how far can public institutions contribute in order to build up competitive clusters? Please specify this by using further data/information/studies (collection of those information can be started a.s.a.p.)

2) Analysis of the Knowledge functions

b) Private research and development

- Employees in R&D (EUROSTAT data only NUTS 2: here “human resources in S&T” can be provided by Nordregio)

- Employees in knowledge-intensive APS (EUROSTAT data only NUTS 2: here “employees in knowledge-intensive market services can be provided by Nordregio)

- Employees in technological oriented branches (EUROSTAT data only NUTS 2: here “employees in knowledge intensive industries” can be provided by Nordregio)

- patents by private firms and public research institutions (EUROSTAT data only NUTS 2: here “patent applications filed at the EPO” can be provided by Nordregio)

- national experts are asked to check as soon as possible what kind of data are available at NUTS 3 level or even below that match these characteristics at best mentioned above

- High-Tech start-ups ? (shall be cancelled)

Moreover, a qualitative assessment of (potential) sectoral strengths should be drafted by national experts: In which fields are some clustering tendencies visible? Please specify those by using further data/information/studies. Please specify this by using further data/information/studies (collection of those information can be started a.s.a.p.)