Case Study

Leveraging data-driven insights to demonstrate a top city’s business attractiveness

Informing analysis with solid data and rigorous benchmarking

Details:

In today’s competitive environment, cities must strategically position themselves among their global peers to attract investment and talent. An economic development agency of a leading global metropolis (referred to as “the Client” hereafter) sought to demonstrate the city’s position as a premier destination for businesses. Oxford Economics came to their attention upon the launch of the Global Cities Index, which compares the competitiveness of cities worldwide.

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The Challenge

The Client continuously needs to showcase its competitive edge convincingly amid global metropolises vying for business investment. Its research department was tasked with producing a public-facing report that detailed the city’s economic status and benchmarking it against other major international cities, demonstrating its economic allure through evidence-based analysis.

To achieve this, access to reliable, harmonised international data was paramount. The data needed to be credible and impartial, providing clear comparisons across key metrics, allowing for accurate “apples-to-apples” comparisons. Additionally, the Client required a robust methodology and clear documentation to ensure the validity of their comparative analysis. Ease of access to data and analysis was also a priority, as the Client sought to be freed from the hassle of collecting and cleaning data from different cities worldwide, which often apply varying definitions for city boundaries and metrics.

The Solution

Through Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Service, the Client was able to access extensive global city data, an interactive dashboard and in-depth reports. Our solution offered harmonised historical global city data as well as forecasts, essential for generating accurate global comparisons and supporting the Client’s research initiatives. The data sources, metric definitions and methodology were clearly documented, allowing for thorough scrutiny. At the Client’s request, we provided the valuable data behind our flagship Global Cities Index for a deeper dive. Furthermore, the Client consulted our global economist team, gaining further clarity in our analysis.

As an independent third party, Oxford Economics bases its results on proprietary forecasts and data from public sources, maintaining a non-biased position. Our results are not influenced by institutional interests. In their public report, the agency referenced the findings from Oxford Economics’ reports, enhancing the credibility of their analysis.

The Result

The Client expressed high satisfaction with the quality and reliability of Oxford Economics’ solutions, which significantly streamlined their research process. The comprehensive insights derived from the Global Cities Service empowered the Client to craft an evidence-based narrative about the city’s economic strengths, effectively attracting potential investors.

Building on this success, the Client further subscribed to Oxford Economics’ US Macro Service reports to navigate economic volatility and understand its implications. With Oxford Economics’ integrated modelling infrastructure—which ensures our forecasts are based on a consistent set of assumptions at the country, industry, and city levels—the Client can access consistent and harmonised insights to inform their analysis.