• tal@lemmy.today
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    1 year ago

    I would expect because the US is a large country. In general, if you rank something in non-absolute terms, splitting a country up will tend to result in the component parts that rank above the average showing up higher. If you split the US up into states and measure each individually, you’ll probably have some that rank above the US average index score and some that rank below the US average index score.

    If one scored Europe as an aggregate, it’d similarly rank below its top two highest-scoring countries.

    • llothar@lemmy.ml
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      1 year ago

      This works both ways. In sure if you scooped Malmö out of Sweden it would pop up even higher. ;)

      No metric is perfect.

      • Throwaway@lemm.ee
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        1 year ago

        Rhode Island probably. Nothing but a bunch of crusty old people and it’s tiny af.

    • crispy_kilt@feddit.de
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      1 year ago

      This works for Switzerland too, not all of our cantons are the same, just like your states. Removing the less innovative ones will make us rank even higher.

      • tal@lemmy.today
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        1 year ago

        That’s true. The smaller the division relative to another, the higher probability that at least some will be above or below on a ranking list relative to the other.