COGITO

Mining standards: Turning opportunity into local-development reality

Reading Time: 3 minutesIt is the “paradox of proximity”: communities nearest a mine feel its impacts first, yet often lack the skills, finance or infrastructure to secure jobs and contracts. How can these opportunities be turned into outcomes?

La economía social y solidaria en Cataluña: claves del éxito

Reading Time: 4 minutesLa economía social y solidaria catalana no nació solo de la ley: desde 2016, catorce “Ateneus Cooperatius” y redes comunitarias han creado más de 1100 cooperativas. ¿Bastará ahora la política para sostener lo que crearon?

When the copper party ends… can mining regions make the gains last?

Reading Time: 3 minutesCopper booms do not last for ever. Prices rise, investment pours in and mining regions expand. Then the cycle turns. The obvious question for places that depend on mining is: what remains when it does?

How cities borrow ideas and make them work locally

Reading Time: 4 minutesCities often look to one another for solutions to challenges ranging from housing shortages and climate risks to infrastructure pressures and social inequalities. How can cities bridge the gap between inspiration and implementation?

The social and solidarity economy in Catalonia: Secrets to success

Reading Time: 4 minutesCatalonia’s social and solidarity economy wasn’t built by legislation alone: fourteen Cooperative Hubs and community networks came first, creating over 1,100 cooperatives since 2016. As legal recognition arrives, can policy alone sustain what communities already built?

Beyond buffaloes: Building a social enterprise in Laos

Reading Time: 4 minutesIn rural Laos, Laos Buffalo Dairy rents pregnant buffaloes from farmers, supporting rural families while producing milk commercially, sustaining livelihoods without disrupting traditional local farming practices. But can shared value be a lasting business model?

Putting people at the heart of Ukraine’s recovery

Reading Time: 5 minutesIn Ivano-Frankivsk, Promprylad Foundation retrains displaced people, veterans and women for in-demand local jobs, supporting 30,000+ people and 600+ new jobs since 2022. Can community-led models like this reshape how we think about post-war economic recovery?

Can MENA’s digital finance boom close the gender gap?

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?

第二の都市について互いに学びあう：イギリスと日本における地方分権からの知見

31 October 2025 Jeffrey Matsu - (CIPFA)

Reading Time: < 1 minute先進国の多くでは、国内の地域格差が拡大している現実が、全国平均の統計値の裏に隠れてしまっている。大都市圏が急速に成長する一方で、多くの中小都市や地方部はその歩みに追いつけずにいる。わたしたちCIPFAとバーミンガム大学City-REDI （City-Region Economic Development Institute：都市地域経済開発研究所）による最新の英日共同研究（日本語版報告書）は、この課題に真正面から取り組み、イギリスの「第二の都市」バーミンガム（およびウェスト・

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

30 October 2025 Elizabeth Doherty - (OECD)

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.

COGITO Talks… Youth entrepreneurs uncovered: Joni Rakipi, in his own words

30 October 2025 Shayne MacLachlan - (OECD) and Joni Rakipi - (ETH Zürich)

Reading Time: 9 minutesThis episode of OECD podcast features Joni Rakipi from ETH Zürich and is hosted by Shayne MacLachlan from the CFE. Joni, originally from Albania and now based in Zürich, explains deeptech as solving complex problems through scientific breakthroughs, emphasising its long-term impact. He highlights barriers young entrepreneurs face, such as limited access for foreign nationals and regulatory hurdles, advocating for open doors and deregulation to foster innovation.

The shifting winds of work: Can regions keep up?

28 October 2025 Cem Özgüzel - (OECD) and Patricia Peñalosa - (OECD)

Reading Time: 3 minutesPowerful forces are reshaping the world of work. Ageing populations, the transition to green energy, rapid digitalisation, and uneven connectivity are already redrawing the economic landscape. AI tools promise a way out – automating routine tasks, optimising schedules, even predicting maintenance needs before breakdowns. But for local leaders, a dilemma looms: will AI ease labour shortages or put people out of work – and their region?

COGITO Talks… Youth entrepreneurs uncovered: Elina Cohen-Peirano, in her own words

27 October 2025 Alix Philouze - (OECD) and Elina Cohen-Peirano - (Urone)

Reading Time: 10 minutesIn this episode of OECD podcasts, Alix Philouze chats to Elina Cohen-Peirano, CEO & founder of URONE and a young entrepreneur who founded her first company at the age of 17. They discuss all things youth entrepreneurship – from balancing entrepreneurship and studies to the policy challenges facing youth entrepreneurship and the legacy of the YEPA programme, tune in to hear from a young entrepreneur, in her own words.

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

24 October 2025 Elizabeth Doherty - (OECD)

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?

Second cities, shared lessons: Insights from UK–Japan devolution

22 October 2025 Jeffrey Matsu - (CIPFA)

Reading Time: 4 minutesBig metros power ahead while many towns and smaller regions struggle to keep up. A recent UK-Japan study, looks squarely at this problem through two ‘second city’ regions – Birmingham/the West Midlands and Osaka/Kansai – and distils a practical playbook that local leaders can use now. The argument is simple: finds durable institutions, functional regional geographies, flexible finance, and open learning loops are the levers that turn strategy into outcomes.

Moving more: the OECD can’t afford not to

17 October 2025 Sam Bacon

Reading Time: 5 minutesPhysical activity is far more than a personal health choice; it’s a powerful tool for improving public health, economic productivity, and social wellbeing. Despite strong evidence that investing in movement yields major health and economic returns, inactivity rates remain high across OECD countries. Successful interventions, such as the JU:MP programme in Bradford, demonstrate that community-driven, place-based approaches are far more effective in encouraging sustained movement.

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