Written by Jacques LeLorier, Genevieve Gregoire, Abdeltif Benhaddad, Julie LaPierre, and Francoise Derderian of the University of Montreal Faculty of Medicine and Montreal Hospital Research Center, the article appears on page 536. An editorial by Dr. John Bailar III in the same issue of NEJM discusses the LeLorier research and issues and problems that arise when meta-analysis is used. Dr. Bailar's editorial appears on page 559. From 1996 to 1997, cities moved an average of 40 places up or down - and 23 metro areas rose or fell 100 positions or more. The list is widely reported and high rankings are hailed by mayors, real estate agents, and chambers of commerce.
Low rankings promote dismay and frantic editorials in local newspapers.
The magazine then collects crime, economic, housing and other socio-economic data about cities and economic areas. Money then weights the data to reflect what readers value most in the poll, according to the magazine. The exact weighting scheme the magazine uses to translate data into rankings is a closely guarded secret. Relying on short-term indicators, such as projected job growth in smaller metropolitan areas is likely to produce exaggerated changes in the ratings. Written by Post columnist Richard Morin, the article appears on page C5.