The Global Innovation index (GII) ranking for the first half of 2013 has been released. Switzerland, Sweden, and United Kingdom have taken the top 3 positions. Netherlands and United States completes the top 5 ranking.
Why Innovation is Important?
During recession, the focus has been on reducing debt, and efficiently utilizing the stimulus but that was a temporary position most economies adopted to handle the uncertainties in the market. Economies recovered from recession through innovation, increased productivity, and job creation.
Countries Participating in 2013
The GII 2013 evaluated 142 economies around the world based on 84 performance indicators. Some of the important indicators are quality of top universities, availability of funds – micro-finance & Venture Capital, innovation capability & tangible results.
MBA Job Markets & Innovation Index
Although the report covers several economies, we have picked countries that are popular MBA and post-MBA destinations, and have ranked them according to the Innovation index score. Our top MBA job markets article will give you an idea about top MBA job markets based on cost of living and purchasing power.
Interesting Findings
We have listed the top 10 MBA job markets based on cost of living and purchasing power, and put an innovation rank on the right of each market based on the innovation index report 2013.
1) United States (5)
2) Germany (15)
3) Canada (11)
4) United Kingdom (3)
5) Netherlands (4)
6) India (66)
7) France (20)
8) Italy (29)
9) Portugal (34)
10) Australia (19)
India, Portugal, and Italy have the lowest innovation ranking when you consider the top Post MBA destinations.
Expectation
High-income economies have dominated the ranking from 2007 when the innovation index was first published. However, emerging economies, especially Latin America has shown considerable improvement in ranking over the past 5 years, and experts believe that the trend will continue.
Governments in emerging economies have realized that to compete in a Global economy, efficiency and productivity is not enough. A renewed look at collaboration that would introduce new concepts and approaches is necessary to position the economy competitively in a global market.
Now let us look at the top MBA Destinations and how they rank if we arrange them based on Innovation Score.
2013 Top MBA Destinations Based on Innovation Index
About the Author
I am Atul Jose, Founding Consultant of F1GMAT, an MBA admissions consultancy that has worked with applicants since 2009.
For the past 15 years I have edited the application files of admits to the M7 programs: Harvard Business School, Stanford Graduate School of Business, the Wharton School, MIT Sloan, Chicago Booth, Kellogg School of Management, and Columbia Business School, together with admits to Berkeley Haas, Yale School of Management, NYU Stern, Michigan Ross, Duke Fuqua, Darden, Tuck, IMD, London Business School, INSEAD, SDA Bocconi, IESE Business School, HEC Paris, McCombs, and Tepper, plus other programs inside the global top 30.
My work covers the full MBA application deliverable: career planning and profile evaluation, application essay editing, recommendation letter editing, mock interviews and interview preparation, scholarship and fellowship essay editing, and cover letter editing for funding applications. Full bio with credentials and admit history is here.
I am the author of the Winning MBA Essay Guide, the best-selling essay guide covering M7 MBA programs. I have written and updated the guide annually since 2013, which makes the 2026 edition the thirteenth.
The reason I still write and edit essays every cycle: a good MBA essay carries a real applicant's voice. Writing essays for F1GMAT's Books and Editing essays weekly is how I stay calibrated to what current admissions committees respond to.
Contact me for school selection, career planning, essay strategy, narrative development, essay editing, interview preparation, scholarship essay editing, or guidance documents for recommendation letters.