OECD Regions and Cities at a Glance 2018
This report looks at how regions and cities across the OECD are progressing towards stronger economies, higher quality of life for their citizens and more inclusive societies. This edition presents regional and metropolitan updates for more than 40 indicators to assess disparities within countries and their evolution since the turn of the new millennium. The report covers all OECD countries and, where data is available, Brazil, People’s Republic of China, Colombia, Lithuania, Peru, the Russian Federation, Tunisia and South Africa.
Three new features characterise this edition. First, an assessment migrant integration, based on new indicators produced for OECD regions. Second, recent trends on entrepreneurship in regions, with new indicators on creation and destruction of firms and on the jobs associated with such dynamics. Third, an assessment of socio-economic conditions, inequalities and poverty in metropolitan areas and their neighbourhoods.
Editorial: Regions and cities – seizing their potential for stronger productivity and well-being
Current global megatrends – such as the digital transformation, climate change, migration or ageing – are likely to have a major impact on people’s lives. Similar to the effects of globalisation that have characterised the last two decades, the consequences of these megatrends can be highly diverse not only across countries, but also across regions and cities within a given country. This differential impact will add to the already heightened concern of policy makers about disparities related to jobs and income, and thus ultimately well-being, across regions and cities. Economic differences within countries are indeed already cause for concern: within OECD countries, the most productive region is on average twice as productive as the least productive one. Fundamental changes to traditional local economic structures that, for example, the digital transformation will cause could further exacerbate such regional discrepancies.