Rankings are no pyramid; they are a ladder and there's room for only one at each rung. A historical advantage in infrastructure and its fields of gold may have kept Punjab on the top rung of the India Today State of the States study for long but Himachal has broken free to force a switch this year.

If you want to rank states, there are two broad roads to follow. First, you can administer questionnaires and respondents' reply to specific questions. This route, however, presumes that respondents know about all the states you wish to rank. Typically, that doesn't happen. Respondents know about states they operate in (or are located in). Second, you can use objective data.

If you want to rank states, there are two broad roads to follow. First, you can administer questionnaires and respondents' reply to specific questions. However, this route presumes that respondents know about all the states you wish to rank. Typically, that doesn't happen. Respondents know about states they operate in (or are located in). Second, you can use objective data.

If you want to rank states, there are two broad roads to follow. First, you can administer questionnaires and respondents' reply to specific questions. However, this route presumes that respondents know about all the states you wish to rank. Typically, that doesn't happen. Respondents know about states they operate in (or are located in). Second, you can use objective data.