THE POWER OF PEOPLE, PLACES & FIRMS
Reading Time: 4 minutesPolicymakers are placing renewed emphasis on regulatory simplification, seeking to cut red tape and help firms grow. For SMEs, this is crucial: growth is shaped not by one law, but by permits and reporting requirements piling across levels of government. How can governments simplify this patchwork without losing its safeguards?
Reading Time: 3 minutesAt their best, incubators and accelerators are the beating heart of the local business community. By combining physical working spaces with financing, training and mentoring, they can mean the difference between a business thriving and never getting off the ground. But what does it actually take to build an incubator or accelerator that delivers?
Reading Time: 3 minutesSome frame AI policy as a choice between protecting people and enabling innovation, but that is too simple. Regulation and growth need not be opposed. How can governments close the gap between AI policy ambition and reality so that early-stage companies can genuinely innovate and scale?
Reading Time: 5 minutesAt just 16 years old, while working in a bakery in Paraguay, Vanessa realised she had found her calling. While others continued their studies, she chose a different path, staying close to the work that inspired her most: serving customers with care, leading a team and delivering quality products while supporting local producers. While young entrepreneurs remain largely underrepresented across Europe, how was Vanessa able to turn her vision into a reality?
Reading Time: 4 minutesAcross the world, cities are quietly delegating the details of daily life to new artificial intelligence (AI) systems that make data driven recommendations about how resources and priorities are distributed. What begins as a promise of efficiency can also quietly define the invisible architecture of who controls public life. The work ahead calls for civic imagination and for ambitious leaders who can link algorithms to accountability.
Reading Time: 21 minutesThis conversation dives into how a small gathering in a local restaurant blossomed into a powerful neighbourhood network grounded in trust, conviviality, and mutual support. From organising a 1 500-person street banquet to creating WhatsApp groups that connect thousands of residents, Patrick and Marion share how intentional social ties can strengthen safety, wellbeing, and even help older neighbours remain in their homes.
Reading Time: 4 minutesAround the world, young entrepreneurs are showing that AI can be a technological and entrepreneurial revolution. By automating the mundane, amplifying creativity, and expanding access to knowledge, AI gives young founders the tools to build more resilient, innovative, and growth-ready businesses. With the right support today, AI can help unlock a future where every young entrepreneur has the tools and confidence to shape the economy of tomorrow.
Reading Time: 4 minutesEurope has a ‘leaky bucket’ issue when it comes to nurturing young entrepreneurial talent. There is no lack in their production, but their retention is an issue. This phenomenon explains what the OECD calls the ”Missing Entrepreneurs” – the cohort of 812 000 potential young founders accounting for 11% of total untapped entrepreneurial potential. So, how do we move forward to a more promising future?