OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions & Cities

💡At the upcoming #Paris2024 Olympic games, 95% of venues are existing or temporary. #Olympic hosts used to adapt to the Games. Today, the Games adapt to their hosts. Hear from Tania Braga on how the Paris games are setting new #sustainability standards and promoting social innovation. International Olympic Committee – IOC Paris 2024 - Comité d'organisation des Jeux Olympiques et Paralympiques de 2024 Organising Committee for the Rio 2016™ Olympic and Paralympic Games

🌏 Did you know #tourism is one of the largest and fastest growth sectors in the world economy? ✨ In our #COGITO blog, Peter Haxton (PhD) and Maya Camacho discuss how to enhance #regional attractiveness for tourism while promoting a more sustainable and resilient recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic. Explore how countries initiate innovations in tourism: 🟠 #Argentina introduces nature tourism with 17 major territorial routes. 🟠 #Canada welcomes higher-value visitors who are more likely to come back. 🟠 #Sweden adopts AI to attract more residents and employers for SMEs. 🟠 #Portugal trains professionals tailored to the local needs. 🟠 #Ireland supports tourism businesses in navigating a competitive job market. 👉 Read the full blog here: bit.ly/464PwpF

💻 Two weeks ago, we held the 4th meeting of the #OECD International SME and Entrepreneurship Policy Evaluation Discussion Network. 💡The network is a forum for policy makers and evaluators to exchange on the results of reliable #SME and #entrepreneurship policy evaluations and the implications for policy. 👩💻 Supported by the United Kingdom, the network meets quarterly to discuss various topics. Last week focused on evaluations of supports offered by ICEX Spain Trade and Investment to assist SME exporters. Angelina Cannizzaro, Deputy Director at the UK Department for Business and Trade, and chair of the network, said that “The UK Department for Business and Trade is pleased to be sponsoring the OECD evaluation discussion network so that the UK and other countries can learn from each other's evaluation work. A key focus for this group is to get at the heart of what works and what doesn’t through evaluation and share our insights on the policy and evaluation lessons from good-quality evaluations.” 🔎 Find out more about the network ➡ https://oe.cd/5BA

And that’s a wrap for our 7th #OECD Trento Centre Summer Academy on Cultural & Creative Industries and Local Development!    A key takeaway was the pivotal role of #culture in bridging divides and addressing polarization. By leveraging cultural initiatives, cities can bring diverse communities together. Culture helps break down barriers, increasing our understanding and empathy towards those we consider as "the other." Moreover, culture combats the oversimplification of reality; art is unexpected, and can be complex, challenging our perceptions and encouraging deeper thought. There is also evidence that higher rates of cultural participation correlate with increased likelihood to vote, volunteer, and donate to charities. This means that by investing in cultural infrastructure, proximity and easy access to local cultural offers cities can not only encourage cultural participation but also civic engagement.   This year's Academy delved deep into pressing topics such as forging new creative alliances between cities, nature, and communities. Urbanist and regional assessor Maurizio Carta illuminated the concept of a new creative alliance between cites, nature and communities, urging us to rethink urban landscapes as spaces where diversity thrives. Dani de Torres Barderi, former Commissioner of #Barcelona, shared his expertise on cultural integration strategies that have shaped Barcelona, underscoring the role of inclusive and anti-rumor policies in fostering community cohesion. A highlight was the exploration of urban creativity with the Gabriella Gomez-Mont, former Chief Creative Officer for #MexicoCity, emphasizing how embracing creativity can transform cities into vibrant hubs of innovation and inclusivity.   However, a word of caution: expecting culture to deliver all these benefits can be challenging. The cultural sector is still fragile after #COVID-19, with high shares of precarious work. The funding landscape is often overfocused on short-term projects, which do not allow for experimentation or the building of long-term collaborations needed for stronger impact. Finally, capacities within the sector need to be built to deliver all these social impacts effectively.   Huge thanks to all 25 participants from 18 countries who joined us in Trento, our wonderful speakers, site visit hosts and partners. We already start thinking about the next edition!   See you next year! 🔗 Learn more: bit.ly/3zEbvYz

Trentino in Italy has a productivity gap of over 25% compared to peer regions. Read our NEW #Cogito blog to explore how the Trentino local government is tackling this challenge. 👉 Learn more: bit.ly/463gbTN #DevelopmentTrap #EconomicGrowth #Employment #Productivity #Regions #Europe #Basque #Lorraine #Picardie #Wallonia #Jutland #Midlands

The #OECD is now #OpenAccess. All OECD data, publications and analysis are now freely accessible under an open licence, enabling seamless access, use and sharing. 👉 Explore the new oecd.org. 🔗 OECD Open Access Launch Video: bit.ly/3zBFLDi

💡 What can U.S. cities & States do to leverage the long-term benefits of global events? Join our webinar on "Leveraging culture, sports and business events for local development" to learn more. 📅 11 July | ⏰ 11:30 AM EST | 🖥️ Virtual Register🔗https://bit.ly/3XL0Bdu

🌍 Empowering EU Regions by Enhancing Cross-Border Governance Did you know that border #regions in the EU cover 40% of EU territory and nearly 30% of its population? Effective cross-border #governance is essential for leveraging the full benefits of EU integration. Recently, we organised the "Reinforcing cross-border governance for development" event, where EU experts discussed a new #OECD framework and tool to enhance regional development through stronger cross-border co-operation. 📊 The framework identifies key governance components that policy makers should consider when initiating or reinforcing cross-border initiatives. The tool provides 100+ practical recommendations, empowering policy makers to innovate and implement impactful strategies. Drawing on insights from the OECD-OCDE-European Union Commission project "Building More Resilient Cross-Border Regions," this conference also showcased experiences from cross-border regions across #Europe. Participants exchanged experiences on the joint development of cross-border strategies, services and securing sustainable funding for cross-border bodies. 📺 Missed the event? Watch the replay on our YouTube channel: bit.ly/3VXZmoV Stay tuned for updates as we continue advancing cross-border co-operation in Europe: bit.ly/4cPgHaf Lamia Kamal-Chaoui Nadim Ahmad Dorothée Allain-Dupré (Landel) Jose Enrique Garcilazo Maria-Varinia Michalun Stephan Raes Stephan Visser Geoff Upton Yingyin (Wing) Wu Margaux V. Margaux Tharaux Marc Bournisien de Valmont European Commission Olivier Baudelet

🧭Discover the Regional Attractiveness Compass: Empowering Regions for Global Competitiveness The Regional Attractiveness Compass introduces an innovative approach to regional development, designed to equip policymakers with actionable insights. 🌍 Building on the #OECD's Regional Attractiveness methodology, the Compass integrates over 50 indicators across 14 dimensions with 6 domains: 🟣Economic appeal 🟣Visitor attraction 🟣Housing availability 🟣Resident well-being 🟣Connectivity 🟣Natural environment This cutting-edge tool is designed to: 🟢Evaluate and enhance your region's appeal to investors, talent, and visitor 🟢Identify strategic priorities to boost regional competitiveness 🟢Monitor and assess the impact of your development policies 🟢Benchmark against global standards Explore the Regional Attractiveness Compass today: bit.ly/3WhI1bT Andrés Rodríguez-Pose Lamia Kamal-Chaoui Nadim Ahmad Dorothée Allain-Dupré (Landel) Jose Enrique Garcilazo Claire Charbit Iris Seunga Ryu Margaux Tharaux Michael Flood Alissa G. Giovanni Pagano Gwendaline Jossec Maya Camacho Ewa Białogłowska Yugo Kimura European Commission

In Lisbon, #Portugal, tourist numbers surged by 19% in 2023. Expats and digital nomads are also pouring in - making up 21% of the population. ✏️ In our #COGITO blog, Joana Sousa Monteiro, Director of the Museum of Lisbon explores how the city is balancing economic growth with cultural preservation. 👉 Read the blog here: bit.ly/3VZtm3o