/categories/competition/ Recent content in Competition on Jack Gregory Hugo -- gohugo.io en © 2026 Jack Gregory Mon, 01 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000 /blog/itc-fragility-index/ Mon, 01 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000 /blog/itc-fragility-index/ TL;DR The ITC Fragility Index turns a set of business-survey questions about insecurity, trust, and economic performance into a single 0–100 fragility score for each business. We use exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to uncover three underlying dimensions—Human Security, Social Cohesion, and Economic Performance—and then use confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to test the resulting structure. The three pillars are standardized and combined to produce the final index. Along the way, we demonstrate a practical, reproducible approach to using factor analysis in R to turn a multidimensional survey into a theoretically grounded composite index. /project/itc-fragility-index/ Mon, 01 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000 /project/itc-fragility-index/ Objective To build a business-specific “fragility index” based on the International Trade Centre (ITC) Business Fragility Survey.1 Description The Business Fragility Survey is a national business-level questionnaire aimed at assessing how small and medium enterprises (SME) cope within fragile social and political environments. The Survey contacted around 2,600 businesses from eight developing countries, of which over 1,100 provided complete responses. The Survey was carried out in partnership with domestic business support organizations. /blog/itc-instability-indicators/ Tue, 21 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 /blog/itc-instability-indicators/ TL;DR This blog shows how to use Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED) event data and geospatial techniques in R to construct location-specific indicators of local instability. Using hypothetical business locations in Ecuador, I demonstrate how nearby adverse events can be aggregated into a simple measure of exposure to insecurity, which can then be used to compare locations or incorporated into analyses of business outcomes. Introduction In the Western world, we can sometimes overlook the benefits derived from operating within stable and peaceful communities. /project/itc-instability-indicators/ Tue, 21 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 /project/itc-instability-indicators/ Objective To build business-specific “instability indicators” based on the International Trade Centre (ITC) Business Fragility Survey and Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED).1 Description The Business Fragility Survey is a national business-level questionnaire aimed at assessing how small and medium enterprises (SME) cope within fragile social and political environments. The Survey contacted around 2,600 businesses from eight developing countries, of which over 1,100 provided complete responses. The Survey was carried out in partnership with domestic business support organizations.