Contract Research Opportunity

[Holden]

CONTRACT RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY
Analysis of City Ranking Studies
(Revised and reposted July 26, 2010)



Recently, a number of reports or scorecards have been published
ranking Toronto against other cities, both within Canada and
internationally. These have included Quality of Life reports,
benchmarking economic performance and prosperity, and assessments of
the cost of doing business. These rankings are intended to measure
Toronto’s relative strengths and weaknesses against other metropolitan
areas, and to provide a basis for policy prescriptions which build on
identified assets and address comparative deficits. However, the
variances among the reports, from the cities used for comparison
purposes to the indicators selected and the conclusions drawn, present
challenges in determining an overall picture of how well or how poorly
Toronto is performing. To determine their value to government policy-
making, it is important to assess the reports themselves, the
assumptions on which their respective designs are based, and how their
design affects their results.

Research Tasks
The researcher will conduct a literature review to identify studies
over the past 5 years which rank cities, including Toronto, against a
defined set of indicators. Based on the studies identified, the
research will explore the following questions:

• Is there any agreement on what should be measured?

• Are there common elements to various methods for measuring
performance and tracking trends, and for making comparisons with other
jurisdictions at the municipal level?

• What is the impact on results of using one methodology over
another?

• Have there been critiques of these methodologies and the
indicators used and, if so, what are they?

The researcher will be responsible for the performing the following
tasks:

• Performing a literature review as outlined above, with
specific reference to measures where Toronto does well;

• Writing the initial draft of an analytical report;

• Developing a checklist of questions to guide policy-makers
so that they can critically read city ranking studies;

• Completing the final written analytic report; and

• Presenting the findings of the final report to an ICE
meeting.

Budget
The maximum budget for this contract research project is $6,000 plus
HST if applicable.

Application Process
To apply, email your resume and cover letter to in...@icecommittee.org
with the subject line “ICE Contract – City Rankings”. Your cover
letter should clearly outline how the combination of your education
and experience makes you a good candidate for this research project.

Application deadline: Friday, August 6, 2010 at 5:00 p.m. EDT.

We encourage applications from current graduate students and graduates
with relevant degrees. Credentials and professional experience earned
either in Canada or internationally will be recognized.

For additional information, please contact in...@icecommittee.org.

Note that only those applicants selected for an interview will be
contacted.

About the ICE Committee
The Intergovernmental Committee for Economic and Labour Force
Development in Toronto (the ICE Committee) was established in 1997 by
officials in the Government of Canada, the Province of Ontario, and
the City of Toronto. The purpose of the committee is to coordinate the
economic and labour force development activities of the three
governments (and the various departments and ministries within each
government) in Toronto. The ultimate goal of the ICE Committee is to
achieve the effective delivery of economic and labour force
development programs in Toronto. ICE has played a key role in bringing
together critical players to share information on their respective
programs and projects. For more information about ICE, please visit
www.icecommittee.org.