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With two thirds of the world’s population projected to live in urban areas by the middle of this century, the accelerating pace of urbanisation generates crucial opportunities and challenges for sustainable development that reach far beyond city boundaries. Many global processes have recognised the importance of urbanisation as well as the roles and responsibilities of national governments vis-à-vis other urban stakeholders. For instance, urban issues are well articulated in the Agenda 2030, the New Urban Agenda and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. National urban policies have been identified as being instrumental for governments to coordinate and articulate these global agendas and their own path to sustainable urban development. Global State of National Urban Policy is a first attempt to assess the status of national urban policy development in 150 countries. In the report you will understand why, how and in what forms NUPs have been developed,implemented and monitored globally. The report sets a solid foundation for a common methodology to monitor the progress of NUPs at the global level. Further, it outlines how many countries have an explicit NUP, the focus of the policy in each country, the existence or not of a dedicated urban agency or department, and the capacity available for effective policy making. The report is also a significant contribution to the monitoring and implementation of the New Urban Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals. In it, policy makers, practitioners and academia will find valuable resources and comparisons to inspire more evidence-based urban policy making for sustainable urban development. This work is a joint effort between UN-Habitat and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, and supported by the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. It is considered to be an important outcome of the National Urban Policy Programme, a global initiative launched by UN-Habitat, OECD and Cities Alliance at the Habitat III Conference in October 2016.

In an increasingly globalised world, cities and regions sometimes join forces with their neighbours to form 'megaregions' and tap economies of scale. This report discusses how eight cities and counties in Norway and Sweden - along the coast joining up Oslo, Gothenburg and Malmö - have decided to work closer together as the megaregion of 'Western Scandinavia'. With a total population of about 5 million inhabitants, this cross-border territory shows good potential to draw on its growing economic and cultural interlinkages, as well as its long history of institutional collaboration, to build a stronger, more sustainable and more inclusive megaregion. The report encourages local authorities to identify a common vision for their shared future development and to take concrete action towards implementing it. It also calls for national governments to tackle the challenges of cross-border transport planning to facilitate greener mobility and more inclusive labour markets.

The 2018 edition analyses tourism performance and policy trends across 49 OECD countries and partner economies. It highlights the need for coherent and comprehensive approaches to tourism policy making, and the significance of the tourism economy, with data covering domestic, inbound and outbound tourism, enterprises and employment, and internal tourism consumption. Thematic chapters explore how understanding the potential impacts of megatrends can better shape the future of tourism, and the need for a shift towards investment and financing for sustainable tourism growth.

The 2018 edition analyses tourism performance and policy trends across 49 OECD countries and partner economies. It highlights the need for coherent and comprehensive approaches to tourism policy making, and the significance of the tourism economy, with data covering domestic, inbound and outbound tourism, enterprises and employment, and internal tourism consumption. Thematic chapters explore how understanding the potential impacts of megatrends can better shape the future of tourism, and the need for a shift towards investment and financing for sustainable tourism growth.

Financing SMEs and Entrepreneurs 2018 contributes to filling the knowledge gap in SME finance trends and conditions. This annual publication provides information on debt, equity, asset-based finance, and conditions for SME and entrepreneurship finance, complemented by an overview of recent policy measures to support access to finance. By providing a solid evidence base, the report supports governments in their actions to foster SME access to finance and encourages a culture of policy evaluation.The 2018 report covers 43 countries world-wide. In addition to the core indicators on SME financing, it provides additional information on recent developments in capital market finance for SMEs, crowdfunding and related activities, and findings of demand-side surveys. It contains a thematic chapter on the evaluation of publicly supported credit guarantee schemes.

This report, undertaken within the framework of the OECD Champion Mayors for Inclusive Growth initiative, assesses inclusive growth trends and challenges in the Seoul metropolitan area. The analysis goes beyond income to assess the barriers faced by specific groups - non-regular workers, youth, women, the elderly and migrants - across four dimensions: education, labour market, housing and the urban environment, and infrastructure and public services. The study then takes a closer look at two major policy efforts by the Seoul Metropolitan Government to advance inclusive growth. The study analyses the city’s efforts to ensure that strategies to address climate change also protect and benefit the most vulnerable populations, notably through the Promise of Seoul, which puts citizen welfare and social inclusion at the heart of the city’s efforts to tackle climate change. The study also assesses the efforts of city authorities to level the playing field for small firms and entrepreneurs through its Economic Democratisation Agenda.

This report provides a comprehensive assessment of Viet Nam’s urban policies and analyses how national spatial planning for urban areas, along with specific sectoral policies, directly and indirectly affect Viet Nam’s urban development. It points to a number of policy areas which Viet Nam can tap into, in order to fully capitalise on the unique opportunities that its urbanisation process may bring about, including urban transport, housing, land, the quality of urban environment, and urban green growth. The review also assesses the efficiency and effectiveness of current urban governance arrangements, and makes recommendations for Viet Nam to develop an attractive and well-managed system of large and medium-sized cities, thereby contributing to achieving its sustainable development objectives.

This review examines the reforms undertaken by the government of Kazakhstan in the area of public governance and evaluates their impact on the powers and responsibilities of subnational levels of government. It places particular emphasis on finding the right allocation of roles and responsibilities among different levels of government, and on using decentralisation as a means to increase self-reliance, civic participation, accountability, and enhanced capacity at the local level. The report also offers a number of recommendations for further strengthening the role of local executive bodies and democratising some aspects of local government.