Institute releases competitiveness report.

• Position: On First Reading - Beacon Hill Institute report on competitiveness of states - Brief Article

Why is California better off than Mississippi? Why is Massachusetts better off than almost every other state? Why do some states fail to improve the lives of their citizens?

A new study from the Beacon Hill Institute at Suffolk University in Boston suggests that the answer may be found by looking at the competitiveness of states.

Defining competitiveness as "the ability to ensure and sustain a high level of per capita income and its continued growth," institute authors Jonathan Haughton and Vadym Slobodyanyuk looked at more than three dozen factors that included such things as government, fiscal policy, infrastructure and other aspects that represent an element of competitiveness, and ranked the states accordingly.

The final product is an extensive yet accessible work, "State Competitiveness Report 2001," a study that goes beyond conventional standards to examine all aspects of a state's economy.

Among the study's key findings:

* For overall competitiveness, Delaware ranks first, and Mississippi ranks 50th.

* Some states have a high ranking overall, despite adverse government policies. For overall competitiveness, Massachusetts ranks first in human resources, technology and finance, but it's 47th for government and fiscal policy and 41st for environmental policy.

* Cold weather...