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?

Regenerative tourism: Rio’s model for resilient destinations

19 May 2026 Paulo Gontijo - (Director of Institutional Relations, Compliance and Sustainability at Grupo Iter)

Reading Time: 4 minutesBrazil has spent a decade building a purposeful tourism model that combines economic dynamism with environmental responsibility, restoring ecosystems, strengthening communities and generating lasting impact. Its approach is deliberate, not accidental. What can other countries learn from Brazil’s model?

Who’s visiting today? How real-time tourism data can help destinations stay ahead

15 May 2026 Teja Zupančič - (The Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia)

Reading Time: 4 minutesRapid growth in visitor numbers can strain infrastructure, increase environmental pressures and erode a destination’s authenticity. Good data is essential for decision-makers managing these trade-offs. How can governments get the tourism data they need, and is Slovenia showing us what that looks like in practice?

Connecting communities in Alba lulia: why urban-rural linkages matter

07 May 2026 Gabriel Pleșa - (Mayor of Alba Iulia)

Reading Time: 4 minutesThousands travel into Alba Iulia daily for work, school and services, while rural businesses supply food, goods and visitors that strengthen the city in return. The relationship runs both ways. What lessons can be drawn on building skills, mobility and collaboration between rural and urban communities?

COGITO Talks… AI in small businesses: hype, hope or hard reality?

30 April 2026 Alix Philouze - (OECD), Shayne MacLachlan - (OECD), Leonardo Baggiani, Robyn Baker - (Unicorn Copy & Strategy) and Regitze Vestergaard Jacobsen - (Hotel Gl)

Reading Time: 7 minutesRecorded live for the first time at the 7th Digital for SMEs (D4SME) Roundtable, this special episode is hosted by Shayne MacLachlan and Alix Philouze.

Building the ecosystem around the rules: What AI startups actually need from policy

28 April 2026 Jennifer Woodard

Reading Time: 3 minutesSome frame AI policy as a choice between protecting people and enabling innovation, but that is too simple. Regulation and growth need not be opposed. How can governments close the gap between AI policy ambition and reality so that early-stage companies can genuinely innovate and scale?

Time, certainty, and the cost of capital: What the OECD’s latest SME finance Scoreboard means for America’s small businesses

24 April 2026 Thomas M. Sullivan

Reading Time: 4 minutesSmall and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) don’t ask for special treatment. They ask for a fair shot, and the ability to plan. How can the uncertainty gap be closed and what lessons can be drawn from what the US Chamber of Commerce is doing to help?

When energy shocks hit home

22 April 2026 Ji-Soo Yoon - (OECD), Takahiro Yamada and Matylda Strand

Reading Time: 3 minutesSince late February 2026, the escalation of conflict in the Middle East has sent shockwaves through global energy markets. Can faster, simpler and more trusted building renovations turn energy shocks into a catalyst for greater resilience and long‑term security?

Housing an ageing society: Lessons from France’s overseas territories

16 April 2026 Thomas Kergonou Jimenez - (OECD) and Romain Bayona-Ruiz

Reading Time: 4 minutesBy 2030, Guadeloupe and Martinique are expected to have between 70 and 80 elderly people for every 100 people of working age, compared with around 60 in mainland France. This highlights the particularly rapid pace of demographic aging in these territories.

What lessons can be drawn from housing in France’s overseas territories to manage this transition effectively?

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Industrial strategy has a geography puzzle: Where should countries invest?