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Dated: 1 February 2003
A recent study on quality of life handed the crown to the Swiss city, Zurich,
as the best place on earth to live. By contrast, Baghdad, the Iraqi capital
where residents are preparing for a possible U.S.-led war, placed 213th of the
215 cities studied, while Kingston, Jamaica, placed 132nd, two places lower
than last year’s ranking.
The study was based on 39 criteria, ranging from political, social and economic
factors and also included the quality of health, education and transport services.
In the study, conducted between September and November 2002, New York City was
given a base score of 100 for quality of life. It was ranked 44th on the list.
By contrast, Zurich topped the poll with a score of 106.5 and Brazzaville finished
at 215 and last with 28.5 points.
Mercer’s quality of life reports aim to overcome the weaknesses of traditional
"hardship comparisons", which are often viewed from a national perspective and
rarely take proper account of the positive features of the cities being compared.
Assessment factors reflect the criteria which international executives feel
are the standards by which cities should be compared. In order to be considered
as a valid criterion, each factor must be neutral and objective (not biased
from a national perspective), quantifiable and comparable, and relevant to all
expatriates regardless of seniority or job type. Mercer's approach therefore
compares factors which are basic concerns for all, and avoids national and cultural
differences, avoiding the weaknesses of those comparisons biased towards an
American, European, or Asian standard.
Below are listed a few of the criteria:
| * |
Political and social environment (political
stability, crime, law enforcement, etc) |
| * |
Economic environment (currency exchange regulations,
banking services, etc) |
| * |
Socio-cultural environment (censorship, limitations
on personal freedom, etc) |
| * |
Medical and health considerations (medical supplies and services, infectious
diseases, sewage, waste disposal, air pollution, etc) |
| * |
Schools and education (standard of schools) * Public services and transportation
(electricity, water, public transport, traffic congestion, etc) |
| * |
Recreation (restaurants, theatres, cinemas, sports and leisure, etc) |
| * |
Consumer goods (availability of food/daily consumption items, cars, etc) |
| * |
Housing (housing, household appliances, furniture, maintenance services,
etc) |
| * |
Natural environment (climate, record of natural disasters) |
Based on the above criteria, what does this ranking really mean? The fact that
we have slipped from last year’s ranking cannot be good, and certainly we ought
to do everything to remain as high as possible in quality of life, not only
from the outside, but also for the benefit of our citizens. Our tourism product
is supposed to be one of the highest earners of foreign exchange, and anything
that can be done to boost this industry in the eyes of the world should and
ought to be done. The efforts by some Kingston hoteliers in this regard must
be commended, But then again, considering all the crime, violence, economic
instability with the dollar in slide mode, government scandals and the like,
maybe 132nd isn’t such a bad place to be after all. However, it would be in
our interest to examine the criteria and make an effort to build on the positives
that exist and increase our ranking for 2003.
Our nearest Caribbean neighbour, Communist Cuba, waded in at 189th, while African
cities occupied 17 of the bottom 20 spots. The world’s least appealing city
remains Brazzaville in Congo, despite its score at the bottom of the table rising
by one point from last year to 27.5. Other poor-scoring cities for overall quality
of life include Bangui in the Central African Republic (29), Khartoum in Sudan
(31.5), and Pointe Noire in Congo (32.5).
According to a senior reseacrch analyst at Mercer, “Economic and political
unrest in Africa and Latin America has pushed many cities down in the rankings
this year,” he said. “It will take time for many of those African cities to
recover from such prolonged periods of political and economic turmoil and to
re-establish stable, law-enforcing democracies.” He alsonoted that,: "Though
the world’s living standards have risen slightly since last year, the gap between
the cities at the top and bottom of the table is still large. The basic comforts
of life, hygiene, and personal safety are the main differentiators, and these
are often lacking in the developing countries.
The gap is magnified by economic and political instability." In a related survey,
also by Mercer, Luxembourg scored the highest for personal safety, followed
closely by Berne, Geneva, Helsinki, Singapore and Zurich. Milan, Athens and
Rome were judged the least safe cities in western Europe while Washington got
the worst safety ranking in the United States. The aim of Mercer’s survey is
to provide an objective, consistent, and comprehensive evaluation of the differences
in quality of life in any two cities. The information is used by governments
and major companies world-wide to determine appropriate allowances that reflect
differences in the quality of life for personnel transferred abroad.
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