²The ‘performance’ concept already has a long history in industrial management and business economics. In general terms, this concept can be defined as: ‘a person’s achievement under test conditions’ (Oxford Encyclopaedic English Dictionary). However, in productivity and efficiency studies, this concept is defined much more broadly and refers to a systematic operational measurement – often in comparison with relevant actors – of the economic achievement position of an actor or corporate organization. The latter meaning will also be adopted in our study on global large cities.