This publication was produced in the OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities (CFE), led by Lamia Kamal-Chaoui, Director, as part of the programme of work of the Regional Development Policy Committee (RDPC). This report was prepared by the Regional Development and Multi-level Governance Division of the OECD, headed by Dorothée Allain-Duprè. The process that led to the final version of this publication was under the guidance of Nadim Ahmad, Deputy Director of CFE. It was co-ordinated by Michelle Marshalian and was approved by the Regional Development Policy Committee.
The report was drafted by Michelle Marshalian. It benefited significantly from the guidance of Dorothée Allain-Duprè, Head of RDG, and Jose Enrique Garcilazo, Deputy Head of RDG. The report greatly benefited from intellectual contributions from other OECD Secretariat members, including Paolo Veneri, Alexandre Lembcke and Philip Chan (CFE), and the project’s academic and business advisory committees.
Special thanks are due to members of the business and academic advisory committees listed below.
The business advisory committee is consisted of Charlotte Baylac and Asinetta Serban (Amazon Web Services); Roxanne Varza (Station F); Matt Dunne (Center on Rural Innovation); Alastair Dobson (Arran Dairies & Scottish Manufacturing Advisory Board); Jon Erni (Miaengiadina); Genero Cruz (GSMA); Shugo Yanaka (INSPIRE); Daniel Heery (Cybermoor); Nicholas Haan (Singularity University); Amin Toufani (T-labs) ; Maurizio Rossi (H-farm); Cristina Falcone (UPS); Didzis Dejus (Baltic 3D); Oliver Oram (Chainvine); Marie Gagne (Synchronex); Lyron Bentovim (Glimpes Groupe); Jane Craigie (Rural Youth Project); lkka Nykänen (Bussiness Joenssu); Niklas Johansson (LKAB); Angel Melguizo (Directtvla and AT&T); Teresa Kittridge (100 rural women) Dr Gianluca Giuliani (Flury-Giuliani); Doug Jones (Ignite Atlantic); Zita Cobb (Shorefast); and Juan Campillo Alonso (Telefonica).
The academic advisory committee is consisted of Mikitaro Shobayashi (Gakushuin Women’s University); Dr Roland Scherer (University of St. Gallen); Dr Gianluca Giuliani (Flury-Giuliani); Tim Wojan (National Science Foundation); Timothy Destefano (Harvard Business School); Ian McCoull (Scottish Enterprise); Riccardo Crescenzi (London School of Economics); Philip McCann (Sheffield University); Andres Rodriquez-Pose (London School of Economics); Ufuk Akcigit (University of Chicago); Stephen Roper ( Warwick Business School); Wendy Cukier (Ryerson University Diversity Institute); Bill Maloney (World Bank); Slavo Radosevic (University College London); Heike Mayer (Bern University); Ray Bollman (Brandon University); Eveline van Leeuwen (Wageningen); Aleid Brouwer (University of Groningen); Atsuko Okudo (International Telecommunications Union); and Diane Coyle (University of Cambridge).
Ms. Jeanette Duboys prepared the report for publication, and a special thanks to Nikki Trutter, François Iglesias and Pilar Philip for editorial support.