1. Eurostat Working Group Regional Statistics
OECD Regions at a Glance 2011 Measuring regional development in OECD countries
Eurostat Working Group Regional Statistics
5 October, 2011
Monica Brezzi
Head Regional Analysis and Statistics, OECD Regional Development Policy Division

2. Summary The role of regional data in regional development paradigm
Strengthen the links between information and policy needs

3. Regional data as critical input to shift from a concept of regional policy as a compensatory policy to a growth concept

4. 40% of the increase in total GDP between 1995 and 2007 was driven by 10% of regions
Percent of national GDP growth contributed by the top 10% TL3 regions;
Data were a critical input in moving regional policy from a compensation policy to a growth base concept
The shift is to make regions policy unit of the world – so we need to assess their assets and potentials
Source: OECD Regions at a Glance 2011

5. Large metropolitan regions are not always the competitive regions
GDP growth rate in metropolitan regions;

6. On average rural regions grew faster than urban, especially when improvement in productivity of agriculture
competitive” regions can be of any kind: many rural regions grew faster than urban ones

7. Competitiveness, Inclusion and Sustainability
Regional data as critical input to consolidate a comprehensive 3 pillars model of development:
Competitiveness, Inclusion and Sustainability

8. Regional disparities in access to education and health can’t be explained just by income differentials
Ratio between the largest and smallest TL2 regional values: household income, basic education attainment, age-adjusted mortality rate and density of physicians; 2007
Similarly now the evidence helps moving from a growth approach to an integrated sustainable model of development, where to consider fair societies and environmentally sustainable, together with the efficiency objective.
Strategic approach to integrate resources and policy interventions to increase complementarities. Complementarities are better understood at local level, to unlock local knowledge of where choices and preferences are expressed

9. Strategic approach to integrate resources and policy interventions to increase complementarities. Need to increase knowledge of “territory” to identify common characteristics in adaptability to changes and resilience to external shocks.

10. New definitions for new measures
Produce new knowledge to address policy questions: type of urbanisation, carbon emissions of cities, air quality in regions, income distribution, poverty etc.
Integration of GIS data (land cover, road networks, location of key infrastructure and services), and socio-economic data on population distribution and on flows
Extended OECD territorial classification: Remote rural regions
New definition of functional urban areas
New thinking and concept: (e.g. how to define poverty: national /regional thresholds? regional PPPs? Income including/excluding in-kind social transfers?)

11. Strengthen the links between information and policy needs

12. Present common stock of knowledge
Robust set of indicators:
Enable international comparison to assess economic performance of territories and quality of life of people living there (harmonized definitions and methods);
Help make informed choices and orient policy (Relevant for a certain place, debatable, timely)
Enter in the evaluation of policies (what worked and why and explicit connections and causality)
Coherent analysis (e.g. Regions at a Glance)
Friendly tool to disseminate (e.g. eXplorer)
Good knowledge the first one
- moving towards the 2
- aware of 3 - debate the potential of different sources of information and debate about methos. The link between statistical information and information collected for managing objectives.
from policy dialogue to sum-up conclusions (meta-evaluation, the review of reviews), institutional indicators mapping
Balance inductive approach

13. Strengthen links between evidence, analysis and policy needs
Regional indicators, comparative analysis
Country’s policy design
Countries and regional reviews of territorial policies; Committee meetings, policy dialogue
Country’s policy delivery , implementation
Challenges to integrate data and analysis with policy insights (from reviews, policy dialogue, countries experience). First question how to integrate them in a easy to capture way for policy makers.
Second challenge how to deliver them in a way which is useful for policy makers when designing policies, implementing reforms and/or evaluating them?