The Spatial Productivity Lab 

The Spatial Productivity Lab (SPL) at the OECD Trento Centre for Local Development was launched in 2018 to help policymakers promote economic growth in their region through custom analyses, peer-learning exchanges, and specific policy recommendations.

Economies that are more productive generate greater ability to support and enhance wellbeing of their citizens via higher incomes, better infrastructure, more services and improved sustainability of welfare systems.

Productivity levels vary widely within countries, because many sources of productivity growth are locally defined or are increasingly sensitive to regional and local conditions. While productivity levels are converging across countries, within-country productivity differences are stubbornly persistent. An explicit focus on subnational drivers is needed to devise policy solutions that boost productivity in all types of places and reduce inequalities.

All regions can unlock productivity growth, supported by interventions tailored to their specific strengths and needs. Recent success stories show that each area, regardless of its current economic status, has unique resources that can be  boosted by the right policies.

We focus on mechanisms that support the catching up of regions and cities that are lagging behind the productivity frontier, such as skill development, internationalisation, innovation and knowledge diffusion. We assess to what extent national productivity can be raised through national, regional and local policy measures.

Interested in partnering with the Spatial Productivity Lab at the OECD Trento Centre? Contact Carlo.Menon@oecd.org and Wessel.Vermeulen@oecd.org.