Stirring the pot. Influence of changes in methodology of the Human Development Index on reporting by the press

This paper assesses changes in the Human Development Index (HDI) rank for a sample of 135 countries over 20 years. The countries selected have had a presence in every HDI table published in the Human Development Reports since 1990. A measure of change in rank between subsequent years was developed so as to allow for differences in the number of countries included in the tables. Results suggest that changes in HDI methodology lead to increased turbulence in country ranking. Also, that there are significant differences between countries in their shifts in HDI table ranking, with five countries in particular (Romania, Jamaica, Botswana, Iran and Belize) experiencing substantially greater turbulence in rank than others. Results suggest that periods of enhanced turbulence in HDI ranking may lead to increased reporting in the world's press. The paper makes a case for a new way of thinking of indicators – in terms of a ‘natural selection’ process that operates over time. In the opinion of the author this approach would help create a greater understanding as to what makes some indicators and indices successful while others are not so and indeed would help with a better understanding of what is meant by the term ‘success’ with regard to such tools.