Who’s really No. 1? Why economic rankings don’t always add up

We’ve become addicted to rankings.
These grading systems once were mostly devoted to sports teams. Today, rankings have morphed into grades for everything from geographic regions to food to educational institutions — based on statistically-backed math or simply mere opinion.
I’ll admit my own industry is certainly culpable in popularizing the ranking of the moment, regardless of its logical importance. Of course, you can also blame retired TV show host David Letterman for his p