Strategic planning and regional development

The OECD defines the strategic planning cycle with three phases and 10 steps. This cycle applies as much to strategic planning for regional development as to other policy areas. It provides a framework for developing and/or analysing strategic planning at the national and subnational levels and can also guide policy makers seeking to enhance their strategic planning efforts.

Implementing regional development strategies is the logical next step after planning. Yet, policy makers frequently struggle with strategy implementation due to a variety of factors, including few or inappropriate co-ordination mechanisms, capacity gaps, and changing political priorities. Building on the strategic planning cycle, the OECD proposes 12 interconnected practices to more effectively implement regional development strategies pr policies. They are based on lessons from OECD countries and regions and structured around three dimensions: mitigating challenges during strategy design, overcoming obstacles in implementation, and strengthening institutional enablers.

The impact of public investment depends largely on quality governance practices and sound management practices. When these are in place, public investment can be a catalyst to promote growth and attract private investment. At their core are strong administrative capacities among fund managers and within their institutions among investment strategists and project planners and among investment beneficiaries and stakeholders. To help build administrative capacities for more effective investment, the OECD developed an analytical framework with five dimensions - people management, organisational management, strategic planning, stakeholder engagement, and framework conditions. Using this framework can help public authorities that administer and manage public investment funds, including Cohesion Policy Funds, analyse and act on the challenges and capacity gaps they face.