Smart Cities 

Smart cities are a fast-growing urban concept and an important field for new approaches to city planning, sustainability, energy transition, transportation, social integration, and talent attraction. As policymakers and citizens around the world work to design, implement, and refine more liveable and prosperous cities, they often face common challenges linked to traffic congestion, waste management, public safety, and environmental sustainability. Smart city strategies provide a holistic way to address these interconnected issues, helping cities improve quality of life, promote sustainability, and support long-term economic growth. 

The IMD Smart City Index

The Smart City Index offers a balanced take on the economic and technological aspects of Smart Cities on the one hand, and more humane dimensions of urban living, such as quality of life and inclusiveness, on the other.

Help Position Your City in the IMD Smart City Index

IMD offers a range of services that can be commissioned individually or combined into a comprehensive engagement. Depending on your objectives, these services can help your city understand its strengths and challenges, benchmark itself against peers, and gain international visibility through inclusion in the IMD Smart City Index.

Interested in exploring how your city compares internationally? 

Contact the WCC team to discuss your needs: [email protected]

Competitiveness Rankings 

Bring Your Economy into the IMD World Competitiveness Ranking

The IMD World Competitiveness Ranking assesses how effectively an economy creates an environment in which businesses can prosper, innovate, and generate sustainable value.

The ranking currently covers 70 economies. Inclusion is based on three key factors.

IMD is interested in expanding the number of economies covered and works with local Partner Institutes to make this possible.

The Role of the Partner Institute

Partner Institutes provide support in up to three areas. While some partners contribute across all activities, others focus primarily on the survey component.

As H.E. Hanan Mansour Ahli, Managing Director of the UAE’s Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre, noted at the inaugural IMD World Competitiveness Summit:

“We see competitiveness as something we do not manage once a year, but something we manage continuously. Competitiveness is definitely not achieved through a single policy, a single initiative, or even a single institution. It’s the result of a national system.”

Interested in bringing your economy into the IMD World Competitiveness Ranking?

Contact the WCC team to discuss your needs: [email protected]

Competitiveness Analysis 

Competitiveness Analysis

The IMD World Competitiveness Center provides customized analysis to help governments, policymakers, and business leaders better understand their economy’s strengths, challenges, and future opportunities.

Our services can be delivered individually or combined into a comprehensive programme, depending on the objectives of the client.

Special Report

The Special Report provides an independent assessment of an economy’s competitiveness performance, drawing on the expertise, data, and analytical framework of the IMD World Competitiveness Center.

The report examines key drivers of competitiveness, identifies areas of strength and vulnerability, and benchmarks the economy against relevant peers.

The final report is owned by the client and may be used internally or published to support international visibility, investment promotion, and stakeholder engagement.

Strategic Outlook Report (prognostic report)

This report looks beyond current performance to assess the strategic implications of existing policies, trends, and future developments.

Using scenario-based analysis and expert insight, the report helps policymakers evaluate alternative paths for strengthening competitiveness and improving long-term economic performance.

The result is a practical tool for informing strategic decision-making and supporting evidence-based policy development.

Workshops and Mega Dives

Workshops and Mega Dives are developed jointly with the client to explore specific competitiveness challenges and opportunities in greater detail.

These highly interactive sessions bring together stakeholders from government, business, and academia to examine key issues, challenge assumptions, generate new ideas, and identify actionable priorities.

Depending on the scope, sessions may focus on the economy as a whole or on specific sectors, industries, or strategic themes. 

Looking for a deeper understanding of your economy’s competitiveness challenges and opportunities? 

Contact the WCC team to discuss your needs: [email protected]