OECD calls for stronger place-based policies to shape future-ready territories
- Rural Pact
- Rural Revitalisation Platform
- Stronger Rural Areas
- Connected rural areas
- Resilient rural areas
- Prosperous rural areas
A recent OECD publication provides insights on the design, implementation, and evaluation of better place-based policies. It synthesises the latest knowledge and evidence to assist policymakers in pursuing policies that build the long-term economic, social and environmental sustainability of regions.
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Territorial disparities – whether in economic performance, access to services, or demographic trends – persist and are being amplified by current challenges, such as the twin climate and digital transitions, resulting in some communities feeling ‘left behind’.
The publication highlights the need to address those challenges with tailored responses that reflect the diversity of places. It recommends:
- Leveraging local assets, recognising and investing in the unique characteristics of each territory;
- Coordinating policy action, cutting across sectors and policy silos and ensuring that infrastructure, social services, environmental goals, and economic development are pursued together;
- Strengthening multi-level governance and building capacity through enhanced role of local and regional authorities and cooperation with national governments;
- Embedding monitoring and evaluation in place-based policy design, assessing not only outcomes, but also the effectiveness of coordination across levels of government.
The report is the result of a collaboration between the OECD and the European Commission, drawing on insights from a series of high-level expert workshops on the topic of ‘Place-Based Policies for the Future’ in 2023.