THE POWER OF PEOPLE, PLACES & FIRMS
Reading Time: 3 minutesRecent reports suggest Volkswagen could close several German plants and cut up to 100,000 jobs globally, in what may be its largest-ever restructuring. Factories in Hanover, Zwickau, Emden and Neckarsulm would be hit hardest, as traditional automakers face pressure from Chinese competition, rising costs, and a slower-than-expected shift to EVs. Can Europe’s manufacturing heartlands adapt fast enough to survive the EV transition?
Reading Time: 4 minutesAfter decades during which the very concept was taboo and the reality swept under the rug, the world has now rediscovered industrial policy. But too much of it is reactive, scattered, and driven by whichever crisis has the attention of the moment. How can we create a more systemic approach that recognizes the issues we face are interconnected and rooted in real places?
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: 4 minutesThe social economy is rarely part of conversations about competitiveness or economic resilience, yet it should be. Social economy organisations create jobs, deliver essential services and strengthen local economies across countries. But what does it take to build an environment that allows them to contribute fully?
Reading Time: 4 minutesAfter years in economic exile, industrial policies are back in a big way. Industrial policy interventions increased 20-fold in the past decade, as governments seek to rebuild competitiveness, support emerging technologies and shore up supply chains. This is true in OECD countries, but also in developing countries which use it more intensively. Many of these are adopting a place-based approach: between 2019-22, regional industrial policy support rose by over 50% as a share of GDP in 11 OECD countries. But why?
Reading Time: 4 minutesWhen fans travel to Northern Ireland to experience landscapes made famous by Game of Thrones, they are doing more than chasing a fantasy, they are fuelling a regional economy. Although the television series concluded in 2019, it still draws around 350 000 visitors each year, representing around one in six visitors from outside Northern Ireland. How can more regions reel in the benefits of movie stardom?
Reading Time: 4 minutesLas comunidades rurales de América Latina producen gran parte de los alimentos, energía y minerales de los que depende el mundo. Sin embargo, para la mayoría de los habitantes rurales, la promesa de una prosperidad duradera sigue siendo inalcanzable porque a: pesar de esta riqueza, el trabajo informal e inseguro sigue presente, debilitando los medios de vida, servicios y oportunidades a largo plazo.
Reading Time: 12 minutesIndia’s rural areas are developing at an extraordinary rate, posing both challenges and opportunities to rethink development at a large scale. Recorded live from the OECD Rural Development Conference in Rio de Janeiro, Shayne MacLachlan speaks with Shahid Iqbal Choudhary, Secretary to the Government in the Department of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, about how India’s fascinating track-record of rural transformation can offer practical lessons to policymakers everywhere.