Special sessions and conference participation of the Spatial Productivity Lab

SO.60: Regional productivity drivers: from analysis to policy
Organised by the OECD Spatial Productivity Lab

Productivity in the most productive region is about twice as high as in the least productive region on average across OECD countries. Moreover, these within country differences have been very persistent. Spatial productivity differentials exist because many sources of productivity growth are locally defined or are increasingly sensitive to regional and local conditions.

This session is dedicated to analysis that aims to understand the productivity drivers in regions and link such analysis to policy implications for regional and local governments.

SO.50: Existing and new regional inequalities in the twin transition
Jointly organised by the OECD Spatial Productivity Lab and Politecnico di Milano, Italy

The opportunities and challenges of the twin transition of digitalisation and greening can vary greatly between regions. For instance, accessibility to digital markets makes physical geography less of a constraint, and new industries and jobs will emerge to facilitate the transition to Net Zero economies. However, the digital transition may also pose risks for regions that already lag behind in the digitalisation of firms and society broadly. Moreover, the need to transform to a green economy may especially affect some regions intensive in the extraction or use of fossil energy, with risk of job loss for workers in such sectors.

At the same time, regional differences in economic development are already wide and persistent across OECD countries. Therefore, it is also important to understand better how existing regional inequalities between households, workers and firms across regions may be alleviated or aggravated by twin transition, and how the twin transition can be managed by local policy makers.

This session, jointly organised by POLIMI and the OECD Spatial Productivity Lab, seeks to delve into these regional economic differences and social inequality that link with the twin transition.

There is often a disconnect in how (and when) academic research is made accessible to policy. Academics typically prioritise methodological rigor and generalisable results that can be linked to theory. Policy makers often struggle to grasp the operational implications of academic research and are concerned that the evidence is outdated and that context-specific information is missing.

Platforms such as regional productivity boards, think tanks, or research centres help fill this gap. They provide the incentive to steer academic research toward timely policy questions and to communicate findings effectively. However, their diffusion in regional policy is still in an early stage compared to other areas, pointing to opportunities to share best practices and foster synergies and peer learning.