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Governments need reliable and comparable data to underpin policies that promote regional growth. The OECD has developed a unique database of sub-national statistics that allow policymakers to analyse trends both domestically and across countries. The use of internationally comparable data has been a critical input in reforming the objectives and tools of regional development policy in OECD countries. By providing measures of regional performance and identifying factors that increase the competitive edge of a region and the well-being of its current and future population, OECD data has encouraged a shift from a subsidy-based, compensatory approach to regional policy to one that focuses on enhancing regional potential. OECD Regions at a Glance reflects continuous effort by the OECD Working Party on Territorial Indicators in collaboration with the OECD Secretariat to improve the evidence base at regional and local levels.
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International comparisons of economies and societies tend to be undertaken at the country level. Statistics on production capacities refer to gross domestic product (GDP) for example, while health and education levels tend similarly to be measured and debated in national terms. However, the differences between countries are often not as great as the disparities within them. In Chile, Poland, Portugal and Turkey, for example, the GDP per worker in the best performing region is more than three times higher than in the worst performing region. In several places, disparities have widened recently, as evidenced by the doubling of the difference in employment growth rate across OECD regions after the 2008-09 recession. Understanding the differences and similarities in regional economic structures is essential for designing effective strategies to resume and maintain aggregate growth. At the same time, statistical evidence specific to regional contexts can help strengthen the recovery of OECD countries by identifying potential and challenges of places to become engines of sustainable economic and social development.
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In any analytical study conducted at sub-national levels, the choice of the territorial unit is of prime importance. To address this issue, the OECD has classified two levels of geographic units within each member country (Table A.1 in Annex A). The higher level (Territorial level 2 [TL2]) consists of 362 larger regions while the lower level (Territorial level 3 [TL3]) is composed of 1 794 smaller regions. All the territorial units are defined within national borders and in most of the cases correspond to administrative regions. Regions at the lower level (TL3) are contained within the higher level (TL2).
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