DHL Global Connectedness Index 2014

DHL Global Connectedness Index 2014
41
Conclusion
This chapter has compared the global connectedness
of countries and regions around the world. The world’s
most connected countries based on this year’s DHL
Global Connectedness Index are: the Netherlands, Ireland,
Singapore, Belgium, and Luxembourg. The least
connected countries are: Syrian Arab Republic, Central
African Republic, Uzbekistan, Burundi, and Benin. The
countries with the largest increases in their global
connectedness scores from 2011 to 2013 are: Burundi,
Mozambique, Jamaica, Madagascar, and Suriname.
Wealthier countries tend to be more globally connected
in terms of both depth and breadth. Countries with
larger populations tend to score higher on breadth
but lower on depth. Sharing a common language
with other countries is positively associated with
connectedness, and geographic remoteness and being
landlocked are negatively associated with global
connectedness.
Those structural factors, however, influence but do
not strictly determine countries’ levels and patterns
of connectedness. This chapter also provided an
analysis of countries actual depth scores as compared
to predictions based on their structural factors and
discussed the countries whose depth scores exceeded
what would be expected given their structural
conditions by the largest amount. Interestingly, the five
countries with the largest “outperformance” on this
metric were all located in East and Southeast Asia.
Europe is the top-ranked region in terms of overall
global connectedness and also leads on the trade and
people pillars. North America is the most connected
region on the capital and information pillars. Countries
in South & Central America & the Caribbean averaged
the largest increase in their connectedness scores from
2011 to 2013.
Country rankings such as those presented in this
chapter naturally and appropriately draw attention to
relative comparisons among countries—celebrating
the “winners” and raising questions for the countries
toward the bottom of the ranking tables. However,
the real power of the DHL Global Connectedness
Index as a tool for policymakers lies in its potential
to help all countries identify and prioritize untapped
opportunities. More specifically, policymakers may use
this chapter and the country profiles at the back of this
report in the following ways:
• Benchmark Levels of Connectedness: Compare
your country’s scores to those for other countries
that you feel represent an appropriate reference
group. Typically, it is useful to compare levels of
connectedness versus neighbors, countries with
similar levels of economic development, countries
of a similar size in terms of GDP or population, and
countries that you otherwise deem to be important
partners or competitors.
• Analyze Your Country’s Connectedness Trends:
Track your country’s scores over time to see if it is
becoming more or less connected. Remember that
scores reflect absolute levels of connectedness, while
ranks reflect levels of connectedness in comparison
to other countries. Each country profile has a score
trend chart, and data in the country profiles and
in Appendix A can help with examining drivers of
countries’ changing scores and ranks.
• Compare Scores across Flows, Dimensions, and
Directions: Across the 12 components of the index,
their depth and breadth, and their inward and
outward directions, no country ranks even in the top
half across every aspect of connectedness covered