Reading Time: 4 minutesAsk whether digital finance is helping women entrepreneurs in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) overcome old barriers and the honest answer is: both, at the same time. But is access enough to drive real growth?
Category: Place-based policies
COGITO Talks… The attraction factor: People, visitors and investment
Reading Time: 3 minutesWhat makes a region attractive? Sometimes, it’s the ability to reinvent itself, and Newcastle, Australia, is a powerful example: competitive regions are not just places that grow, they are places that adapt.
Tourism’s new normal: From managing risk to dealing with uncertainty
Reading Time: 4 minutesIn the past, developing a tourist destination seemed straightforward. What was needed was a few attractive assets, such as a beach, cultural sites or scenic mountains. With extreme weather as the new normal, how is tourism changing and how can regions adapt to it?
Retaining talent in your region
Reading Time: 5 minutesAcross much of Europe, regions are facing a growing challenge: how to attract, develop, and retain talent in an increasingly competitive labour market. How can young people’s horizons be broadened to improve their employment prospects?
Why richer cities don’t always mean better lives
Reading Time: 4 minutesAcross the OECD, cities are engines of economic growth. They attract investment, create high‑value jobs and generate most of national wealth. Yet for millions of their residents, this prosperity remains out of reach. So, if growth alone is not enough, what actually helps more people benefit from and contribute to it?
Industrial Policy Needs to be Systematic, Not Just Ad Hoc
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?
Cutting red tape where it matters most: Why SMEs need simpler local rules
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?
The social economy is bigger business than you think
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?