About uS 

Established in 1999, the OECD Regional Development Policy Committee (RDPC) works to improve living standards and well-being for citizens from all regions, cities and rural areas by designing and implementing effective place-based policies. By providing internationally comparable subnational data, it is able to inform global debates on regional, urban, rural and water policy, subnational finance and multi-level governance. The Committee meets twice yearly (in spring and in autumn) with OECD Members and partners from relevant ministries and organisations to identify, discuss, develop, and disseminate a vision of regional development policy that is place-based, multi-level, multi-sectoral, and adapted to evolving country priorities in a global context of uncertainty. Since its creation in 1999 it has become a leading international forum for high-level regional development policymakers and now informs many global debates (UN, G20, COP conferences) to advance the understanding and importance of place-based policies.   Download the flyer on RDPC impact (PDF)

The OECD’s Regional Development Policy Committee (RDPC) has a number of subsidiary bodies/groups that support its work and through it has also developed multiple tailored international networks, tools and instruments to advance the place-based debate:

 

• The Working Party on Territorial Indicators (WPTI) carries out statistical work on the measurement of regional economies. It has developed fundamental tools for enhancing both cross-country and in-country comparability to improve policy analysis and evaluation. Statistics at the subnational level are a key component of the OECD’s territorial expertise.
• The Working Party on Rural Policy (WPRUR) discusses ways to develop a modern, rural development policy to improve the well-being of citizens living in rural regions that can account for important economic changes shaping our societies and identify effective policies and governance tools.
• The Working Party on Urban Policy (WPURB) is a unique practitioner-based forum that provides direction for OECD work on Cities and addresses challenges facing cities and metropolitan areas across the OECD. At the forefront of research and analysis on urban development, the OECD works with mayors, regional leaders and national public officials responsible for urban and regional policies.
• The OECD expert group on Multi-level Governance provides a platform for exchange on multi-level governance frameworks, tools and reforms that can support place-based regional development policies, public investment capacities and the implementation of multi-level governance policies. It supports countries in their decentralisation and regionalisation reforms.
• The OECD Water Governance Initiative is an international multi-stakeholder network of members from the public, private and not-for-profit sectors gathering twice a year to share good practices in support of better governance in the water sector.

 

RPDC Progamme of Work

The work of the RDPC and its subsidiary bodies over 2021-22 is carried out under three pillars of work:

1. Promoting productivity, innovation and digitalisation: regional responses for recovery
2. Inclusive and sustainable regions, cities and rural areas for more resilient societies
3. Effective multi-level governance and finance for more resilient regional development and trust

 

Contact

For more information contact regions@oecd.org.