OECD Regional Outlook

Building Resilient Regions for Stronger Economies

ISBN Number:
9789264111707

This publication highlights the central role of regions and regional policies in generating an employment recovery and realising the innovation potential of OECD economies.

The contribution of cities and rural areas in addressing climate change and shifting our economies towards green growth is also analysed.

In addition to presenting overviews of a large body of OECD work on regional development and regional policy, this publication presents a unique debate over the role and potential of different approaches to regional policy: whether policies should be place or non place-based. This debate includes contributions from a number of leading academics and public officials working in the field.

Also contained are a set of short country profiles covering the 34 OECD members. Structured so as to facilitate comparison across countries, they offer not only brief statistical snapshots of regional performance, but also qualitative information on institutions and policy settings.

Executive summary

Read the executive summary

Table of contents

Key regional trends and policies
C 1. Regional growth: disparities and opportunities
C 2. Regional responses to the jobs crisis
C 3. Dealing with sub-national finances under strain

Special focus: innovation and green growth in regions
C 4. Regions matter for innovation
C 5. Green growth for regional development

Policy forum: place-based or spatially blind development models?
C 6. Why location matters: the terms of a debate
C 7. Improving regional development policies
C 8. Places, in places, but people everywhere: the place for policy
C 9. Non-market effects on agglomeration and their policy responses – can we overcome the mismatch?
C10. Why and when development policy should be place-based
C11. Alternative approaches to development policy: intersections and divergences

Country notes
A set of short country profiles covering the 34 OECD members

Video

Why regions matter -
Developing regional economic growth

Mark Drabenstott, former Chair of the Territorial Development Policy committee, talks about why regions matter.

Blog

All immigration is local: How Regional Factors Shape Global Migration

by Monica Brezzi
Head of Regional Statistics Unit, OECD Directorate for Public Governance and Territorial Development

Further reading

Find out more

For more information and publications on regional development, visit:
www.oecd.org/regional

Regional Development

OECD Regional Outlook