Category: Place-based policies

Putting industrial policy in its place 

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?

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COGITO Talks… Roots of Wisdom: Indigenous perspectives for policymakers

Reading Time: 10 minutesThe 2025 OECD Report Reinforcing Rural Resilience reveals that OECD regions have seen a significant loss of forests, with approximately 10% of their forest cover disappearing between 2000 and 2020. To discuss solution-based approaches to this issue, we do not need to necessarily turn to new innovations or technologies, but rather we can look to past wisdom of indigenous knowledge in how to care for nature in a long-sustaining manner.

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COGITO Talks… From vanishing villages to vital visions: The future of rural Kazakhstan

Reading Time: 10 minutesIn 11 of the 29 OECD countries included in the OECD Reinforcing Rural Resilience report, rural populations are declining. Discussing all things decentralisation, digitalisation and democracy in Kazakhstan, Shayne MacLachlan from the OECD has a conversation with Zhanerke Kochiigit. This conversation took place at the 2025 OECD Latin American Rural Development Conference, Rural-Urban Connections: Pathways to Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Have a listen. 

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No more paper work: how reducing red tape can boost businesses in regions

Reading Time: 4 minutesReducing red tape and administrative burdens is not just a matter of convenience. It is a vital step towards encouraging business creation, innovation, and competition, for a more productive and prosperous future. Simplifying rules, digitising services and working across levels of government can unlock the potential of local businesses – whether they are launching tech startups or providing care services. How can we avoid suffocating our SMEs through red tape?  

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Concrétiser le droit de rester : leçons des villes qui ont inversé le déclin

Reading Time: 5 minutesAu cours des quinze dernières années, la population vivant dans les zones urbaines de l’Union européenne a augmenté de près de 12 millions de personnes. Dans un contexte d’urbanisation, une telle tendance n’a rien de surprenant. Mais sous la surface se cache une réalité plus complexe : toutes les villes ne profitent pas de cette croissance. Concrétiser le droit de rester suppose des politiques qui rééquilibrent la prospérité.

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Unlocking the right to stay: Lessons from cities that reversed decline 

Reading Time: 4 minutesOver the past 15 years, Europe’s cities have grown by nearly 12 million people. Yet while Europe’s large cities have expanded by around 6.5%, smaller cities have shrunk by 1.7%. Western cities have been generally growing, while many in Eastern Europe are losing residents. This uneven growth raises an important question – what does it mean to have the Right to Stay in Europe’s shrinking cities? 

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