THE POWER OF PEOPLE, PLACES & FIRMS
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.
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.
Reading Time: 3 minutesWhilst the strong emotional attachment to one’s home can be leveraged to bring back migrants that tackle skills gaps, diaspora populations that remain abroad can bring other benefits back home too. Engaging the diaspora should be understood as more than an effort to entice people to return home. Strong local identities endure long after migration, and policymakers can harness this attachment to mobilise skills, knowledge and investment from afar.
Reading Time: 5 minutesIn the Paris region, over 5.6 million square meters of office space sit vacant. At the same time, demand for housing (especially social housing) has reached critical levels, with fourteen applications per allocation on average. This mismatch – between empty offices and overcrowded homes, raises important issues about how we can make better use of the built environment to meet urgent housing needs.
Reading Time: 5 minutesIn the popular mindset, rural regions often conjure up images of dereliction and decline. Yet this is far from the reality. Rural areas are home to 30% of the OECD population and in some cases are outpacing cities in growth, productivity, and innovation. Why then do outdated narratives of rural decline continue to overshadow their contributions? It is time to dismantle the myths holding these regions back.
Reading Time: 4 minutesAcross the OECD, regions are scrambling for the skills needed to boost regional prosperity. For many, mobilising diaspora communities could help bolster the workforce, investment, and civic energy. Pairing quick fixes and core place-based investments in attractiveness factors like housing and public services can turn attachment into arrivals and long-term retention. The time is right: the pool of potential returners is large, and we are getting a handle on what works. Regions should act now to convert existing attachment into renewed demographic and socio-economic vitality.
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?
Reading Time: 3 minutesGreater Manchester has recently outpaced London in productivity growth – a surprising shift that’s prompting many to ask: Is this the long-awaited “devolution dividend”? And could it finally help close the UK’s deep economic divides? Our recent study for the Manchester-based Productivity Institute suggests that advances in data science make it possible to identify a “sweet spot” in subnational government design. We must find it.