Browse by: "2022"

In recent decades, federal and unitary countries have increasingly adopted or deepened regional governance reforms, especially in the OECD and Europe, but also in Asia, America and to a lesser extent Africa. Approximately two-thirds of countries around the world have increased the power of regions over the last 50 years. This trend has happened in parallel with countries increasingly embedding a territorial approach into policy-making at the national and subnational levels. This process, however, does not follow a linear path. The rationale behind regional governance reforms differs from country to country, and over time, leading to a broad spectrum of governance models with varying institutional and financing arrangements. Taking stock of these trends, this report provides key data on regional governance reforms and their drivers, with a focus on the role of regions in the COVID-19 crisis response. The report also presents an innovative typology of regional governance models across OECD countries and the multi-level governance instruments that enable sound regional governance and help ensure these arrangements effectively serve their purpose.

This report assesses the linkages between foreign direct investment (FDI) and domestic small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Slovak Republic. It provides policy recommendations to national and subnational governments on how to foster productivity and innovation spillovers from FDI to the local economy. The report looks at the quality of investment the country attracts, the absorptive capacity of Slovak SMEs, and a broad range of economic, business and policy conditions that can strengthen knowledge and technology diffusion from FDI to domestic SMEs. It also provides a diagnostic assessment of the core FDI-SME spillover diffusion channels, namely value chain linkages, strategic partnerships, labour mobility, and competition and imitation effects. The report provides an overview of the Slovak policy arrangements for promoting international investment, SME performance and innovation, and regional development. It does so by taking a close look at multi-level coordination, stakeholder consultation and impact evaluation. It then reviews the policy mix in support FDI-SME linkages and spillovers and proposes concrete areas for further policy reforms. The last chapter introduces a regional lens, focusing on the regions of Banská Bystrica and Košice. This report is part of a multi-year European Commission-OECD project on strengthening FDI-SME ecosystems and is the second pilot review for future country assessments.

Rural regions in Colombia have untapped potential to boost wealth and well-being in the country. Despite remarkable economic growth over the last two decades, Colombia’s development policy needs to increase its focus on rurality, as regional inequalities remain high by OECD standards and structural challenges still prevent greater development in rural places. This report assesses trends, challenges and opportunities of rural Colombia and examines the country’s rural development policy. It offers recommendations to mobilise rural assets and improve rural well-being with a focus on: strengthening multi-government coordination and policy implementation; enhancing transport and broadband connectivity as well as accessibility to quality education and health and; improving land use management in rural Colombia.

This policy paper sheds light on the type of investments that can maximise social returns and help bridge territorial gaps in access to services. It starts by explaining why it is challenging to balance proximity and cost-efficiency in service provision while maintaining quality across territories, highlighting the key role of subnational governments in providing education and health services. It then assesses the extent of territorial inequalities in access to basic education and health care services in G20 countries based on a comprehensive review of the evidence available. Finally, the report reflects on future needs based on demographic projections and offers two main implications for the future of infrastructure investment: 1) the need to tailor strategic and flexible investments to different demographic realities; and 2) the need to support quality infrastructure investment by subnational governments.

Over the coming years, significant infrastructure investment will be required to sustain economic growth and improve well-being in many regions and cities. Subnational governments will have a key role to help provide this infrastructure - they are responsible for almost 60% of total public investment in G20 countries. This G20-OECD Policy Toolkit, developed with input from the Asian Development Bank, aims to support inclusive and quality infrastructure investment by subnational governments across developing, emerging and developed countries. It outlines key elements of creating an enabling environment for subnational infrastructure investment. It then details common and innovative funding sources, financing instruments and investment approaches. Rather than recommending specific instruments, it provides a ‘toolkit’ of options for policymakers and practitioners. The Policy Toolkit is supported by 23 case studies.

The consequences of climate change in developing countries are worsening fast: many ecosystems will shortly reach points of irreversible damage, and socio-economic costs will continue to rise. To alleviate the future impacts on populations and economies, policy makers are looking for the spaces where they can make the greatest difference. This report argues that intermediary cities in developing countries are such spaces. Indeed, in the context of fast population growth and urbanisation, these small and medium-sized cities silently play an essential role in the rapid transformation of human settlements, not least by supporting the massive flows of population, goods and services between rural and metropolitan areas. Most of those intermediary cities are still growing: now is therefore the time to influence their dynamics, and thereby the entire design of urbanisation in those regions, in ways that limit the exposure of urban dwellers to climate shocks and avoid carbon lock-in. To that end, based on fresh evidence and policy analysis on the challenges faced by these agglomerations in the context of climate change, the report makes the case for new development approaches to avoid the unsustainable paths followed by too many cities in the recent past.

OECD Regions and Cities at a Glance presents indicators on individual regions and cities since the turn of the new millennium. It provides a comprehensive picture of past successes and likely challenges that regions and cities in OECD members and partner countries will face in their efforts to build stronger, more sustainable and more resilient economies. By relying on a combination of traditional and more innovative data sources, OECD Regions and Cities at a Glance describes the evolving nature of spatial disparities within countries from a multidimensional perspective. New topics covered by this edition include the economic impact of recent shocks, such as the pandemic and the energy crisis, housing affordability, climate change and digitalisation.

Ce rapport apporte un éclairage nouveau sur les économies urbaines africaines, d’une portée et d’une précision unique. Sur la base de données recueillies auprès de plus de 4 millions d'individus et d'entreprises, issus de 2 600 villes de 34 pays africains, le rapport montre que l'urbanisation contribue à l’amélioration des résultats économiques et du niveau de vie. Dans la plupart des dimensions socio-économiques, les villes obtiennent des résultats nettement supérieurs aux pays au sein desquels elles sont situées. En Afrique, l’urbanisation est responsable d’environ 30% de la croissance du produit intérieur brut (PIB) par habitant au cours des 20 dernières années. Les bénéfices de l'urbanisation sur les performances économiques et la qualité de vie s'étendent au-delà des limites de la ville et profitent également aux zones rurales. Les pôles urbains transnationaux émergent le long des côtes ainsi qu'à l'intérieur du continent, offrant de nouvelles opportunités de développement économique. Sur la base de ces résultats, le rapport définit des priorités politiques, aux niveaux national et local, essentielles pour réaliser le potentiel de l'urbanisation. Parmi celles-ci, le rôle économique des villes devrait être pleinement intégré dans la planification du développement national. Par ailleurs, les gouvernements locaux ont besoin d’une plus grande capacité fiscale et administrative pour devenir des acteurs clés du développement économique.

يعكس التطلّع إلى المستقبل في منطقة الشرق الأوسط وشمال إفريقيا بعد جائحة فيروس كورونا آثار أزمة COVID-19 المستجدة على بلدان الشرق الأوسط وشمال إفريقيا والتغييرات المحتملة التي قد تجلبها على أجندات الإصلاح الخاصة بها. فهو لا يعالج الآثار المستمرة للأزمة فحسب، بل يبحث أيضًا في العواقب طويلة المدى ويحدد الاتجاهات الجديدة الناشئة. تم الانتهاء من التحاليل قبل وقت قصير من بدء العدوان الروسي ضد أوكرانيا، عندما لوحظت مؤشرات على أن التعافي كان يتعثر بالفعل في الاقتصاد العالمي. منذ ذلك الحين، تأثرت آفاق النمّو العالمي بشكل أكبر بسبب الحرب. ومع ذلك، لم تتغير التوصيات المتعلقة بالسياسات العامة لبناء القدرة على الصمود على المدى الطويل في بلدان الشرق الأوسط وشمال إفريقيا. على العكس من ذلك، فهي كلها وثيقة الصلة بالموضوع، حيث أن العديد من التحديات القادمة تأتي من عوامل هيكلية. ومع ذلك، ستعتمد الاستراتيجيات الواقعية على القدرة المالية على تحمل التكاليف.

Traverser la crise du COVID-19 et préparer l’avenir : La reprise dans la région MENA considère les impacts de la crise du COVID-19 sur les pays de la région MENA ainsi que les changements potentiels qu'elle peut apporter à leurs programmes de réforme. Le rapport aborde non seulement les effets actuels de la crise, mais également ses conséquences à long terme, tout en identifiant les tendances émergentes. L'analyse a été achevée peu avant le début de la guerre en Ukraine, alors que les signes d’une reprise chancelante étaient déjà observés dans l'ensemble de l'économie mondiale. Depuis lors, les perspectives de croissance mondiale ont encore été affectées par le conflit en Ukraine. Pour autant, les recommandations politiques visant à renforcer la résilience à long terme des pays de la région MENA n'ont pas changé. Au contraire, elles sont d'autant plus pertinentes que la plupart des défis à venir proviennent de facteurs structurels, sachant toutefois que la mise en place de stratégies réalistes dépend des marges de manœuvres budgétaires.

In contrast to falling rates in low density peri-urban and rural remote areas, high density peri-urban areas in Switzerland recorded double the rate of labour productivity growth than the national average. This report examines the Swiss regional innovation system and how it can boost productivity growth in rural regions by enhancing innovation. It also puts a special focus on the agri-food sector to improve the agricultural innovation system.

In the midst of a global slowdown in productivity, unlocking the innovative potential of rural places is more important than ever. As part of a series on supporting to help rural areas thrive, this thematic report provides the latest analysis and research on rural innovation, and proposes ways to overcome the growing gaps between rural and urban places that are contributing to the geographies of discontent. It first explores the multi-facetted innovative practices that are already occurring in rural places, and proposes alternative indicators beyond the traditional science and technology measures to capture them. Then, it identifies policy drivers and bottlenecks to help rural entrepreneurs, firms and people fully mobilise their growth potential. Results and recommendations are drawn from research and fact-finding missions from select OECD member countries.

O Brasil fez progressos significativos na gestão dos recursos hídricos desde a adoção da Lei das Águas em 1997 e da criação da Agência Nacional de Águas e Saneamento Básico (ANA) em 2000. No entanto, os desafios de segurança hídrica persistem e serão agravados pelas megatendências, tais como, mudanças climáticas, crescimento populacional, urbanização e as consequências econômicas, sociais e ambientais da pandemia da COVID-19. O relatório afirma a importância da abordagem moderna de segurança hídrica, equilibrando a gestão de oferta e demanda, infraestrutura cinza e verde, e gestão e resiliência dos riscos, ao mesmo tempo em que adota visão holística que conecta a água a outras áreas como meio ambiente, uso da terra e desenvolvimento territorial. O relatório se baseia em uma década de diálogo político entre OCDE e ANA e fornece um plano de ação para apoiar o país a: (1) passar da abordagem de risco para a abordagem da resiliência entendendo as vulnerabilidades e minimizando a duração e a magnitude das falhas; (2) fazer com que as organizações de bacias hidrográficas utilizem instrumentos econômicos para lidar com desafios hídricos; e (3) enfrentar o novo papel atribuído à ANA de supervisão regulatória para o setor de saneamento.

States of Fragility 2022 arrives during an ‘age of crises’, where multiple, concurring crises are disproportionately affecting the 60 fragile contexts identified in this year’s report. Chief among these crises are COVID-19, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and climate change, with the root causes of multidimensional fragility playing a central role in shaping their scale and severity. The report outlines the state of fragility in 2022, reviews current responses to it, and presents options to guide better policies for better lives in fragile contexts. At the halfway point of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, it is more critical than ever for development partners to focus on the furthest behind: the 1.9 billion people in fragile contexts that account for 24% of the world’s population but 73% of the world’s extreme poor.

In 2017, Colombia launched a novel public policy to stimulate the creative economy, building on the success of previous policy initiatives to support the cultural and creative sectors. The Orange Economy policy is unique for its transversal approach to supporting the creative economy and mainstreaming culture across diverse policy portfolios, beyond cultural policy. The report provides a comparative overview of Colombia’s culture and creative sectors relative to OECD peers and reviews progress in policy implementation. It provides a specific focus on Colombia’s push to foster creative districts as tool for local development across the country, including policy examples based on nine districts across the globe. The report maps the financial ecosystem for the creative economy in Colombia. Recommendations draw on international good practice to suggest ways Colombia can best leverage creative economy opportunities.

Navigating beyond COVID-19: Recovery in the MENA Region reflects on the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on MENA countries and the potential changes it may bring to their reform agendas. It addresses not only the ongoing effects of the crisis, but also examines long-term consequences and identifies emerging new trends. The analysis was completed shortly before the start of Russia’s large-scale aggression against Ukraine, when signs that recovery was already faltering were observed across the world economy. Since then, global growth prospects have been further affected by the war. Still, the policy recommendations to build long-term resilience in MENA countries have not changed. On the contrary, they are all the more pertinent, as many of the challenges ahead come from structural factors. However, realistic strategies will depend on fiscal affordability.