OECD Regional Outlook 2016
Productive Regions for Inclusive Societies
Regions and cities are where the effects of policies to promote economic growth and social inclusion are felt in day-to-day life. The OECD Regional Outlook 2016 examines the widening productivity gap across regions within countries, and the implications of these trends for the well-being of people living in different places. It discusses how structural policies, public investment and multi-level governance reforms can help boost productivity and address inclusion. Drawing on a survey of OECD countries, the Outlook highlights country practices in regional, urban, and rural development policy that guide public investment. The Special Focus Part II on rural areas looks at different types of rural area and their productivity performance trends, and suggests that countries move towards a “Rural Policy 3.0”. The Policy Forum on Regions and Cities: Implementing Global Agendas includes chapters by many leading global organisations on how regions and cities can be instrumental in achieving the targets of agreements such as the Paris Accord and the Sustainable Development Goals. Individual country profiles provide an overview of regional, urban and rural development policies as well as performance in terms of productivity and well-being among different regions.
Also available in: French
Executive Summary
Regions matter for building productive economies and inclusive societies. This third edition of the OECD Regional Outlook shows that while gaps in GDP per capita across OECD countries have narrowed over the last two decades, within their own borders countries are witnessing increasing income gaps among regions, cities and people. Leading regions and cities are now competing more with global peers than with others in the same country. There will always be interregional gaps, but those regions lagging behind have opportunities to catch up in terms of social and economic development. By helping to fuel the catching-up machine, countries can reap a double dividend of both increased aggregate productivity and inclusion.
Also available in: French