Measuring local economic resilience

Resilience indices tend to require data that the places most in need of them do not have. This is an ongoing attempt to build one that runs on nationally published statistics alone.

The problem with existing measures

The established indices are methodologically sound and practically unusable below a certain population. They assume survey instruments and administrative feeds that small authorities cannot fund, so the places with the least capacity get the least measurement.

What is being explored

A reduced indicator set drawn entirely from open national statistics, tested against richer indices where both can be computed. The current question is whether the reduced measure tracks them closely enough to support exploratory triage. It is not validated for allocation or funding decisions.

Where it stands

Unfinished, and published in that state deliberately. The uncertainty reporting follows the proposed research standard. That includes the explicit limit that the measure is not fit for funding decisions.