Oecd Globalization Regional Econo

Despite concern about the negative impacts of globalisation on the economies of OECD regions, notably the loss of manufacturing jobs and enterprise relocation, this report presents evidence that region-specific advantages - embedded in specialised firms, skilled labour and innovation capacity - remain a significant source of productivity gain for firms, even for the largest multinational enterprises. This seems to contradict the hypothesis that globalisation reduces the importance of geographical proximity in business. Nonetheless, a new geography of production is emerging, based around both old and new regional hubs in OECD and non-OECD countries. Some of the new hubs in non-OECD countries are attracting increasingly high value-added production and services. In response, national and regional governments in OECD countries are looking for ways to ensure that regions maintain a competitive edge in industries that generate wealth and jobs. This report looks at how different regions are responding to these challenges and the strategies they have adopted to support existing competitive advantages and to transform their assets to develop new competitive strengths.