Title page
Contents
Acknowledgements 4
Executive Summary 8
1. Setting the scene 12
Introduction 12
A national call to address regional disparities 14
Balanced development in an environment of uneven governance 17
2. Minding the gaps in regional attractiveness 20
Eastern and Midland Sub-Regions: Dublin, Mid-East, and Midlands 22
Southern Sub-Regions: South-West, Mid-West, and South-East 23
Northern and Western Sub-Regions: Border and West 23
Zooming in on the international investor attractiveness of each sub-region 23
3. Implementing National Planning at the Regional and Local Level 25
Ireland's current approach towards more balanced regional development 25
An overview of institutional reform - and inertia - in Ireland 26
Improving regional and local competences in key policy areas 27
Bridging multi-level governance gaps in Ireland 32
Mechanisms for vertical coordination across levels of government 44
4. Governing the Metropolis: Regions and Cities in the Making 46
5. OECD Recommendations on Enhanced Delivery of the National Planning Framework 53
OECD Recommendations on enhanced NPF delivery for more balanced regional attractiveness 55
Annex A. Regional Attractiveness Compasses 58
Annex B. Select Local Authority Innovations in Place-Making 66
References 68
Table 3.1. Multi-level Governance Gaps 34
Table 3.2. Funding Regional Development Under Project Ireland 2040 36
Table 3.3. Framework For Multi-Level Engagement 44
Table 5.1. From stepped change to sea-change: opportunities for reform to enhance regional attractiveness 53
Figure 1.1. Download speeds, % deviation from the OECD average - vary sharply with a strong advantage for Dublin 14
Figure 1.2. Index of regional disparities in GDP per capita (richest 20% relative to poorest 20% of regions) 15
Figure 1.3. Share of green-task jobs across and within countries, OECD regions, 2021 or last available year 15
Figure 1.4. Passenger Rail Performance by TL3 Region and EU average, 2021 16
Figure 2.1. Framework for regional attractiveness in the new global environment 20
Figure 2.2. Territorial Grid of Ireland 21
Figure 2.3. Comparative analysis of Irish Sub-Regions Scores in each attractiveness dimension 22
Figure 2.4. Greenfield FDI Inwards in Capital Expenditure in USD millions by Sub-Region (TL3) 24
Figure 2.5. Sectoral Composition of Greenfield FDI Inwards by Sub-Region (TL3) 24
Figure 3.1. Population growth in Ireland is oriented towards the East and South 25
Figure 3.2. Capital transfers as % of local government investment, 2022 39
Figure 3.3. Availability of Funding Options at the Local Level 40
Figure 4.1. Waterford Metropolitan Area Strategic Plan 47
Boxes
Box 1.1. Multi-dimensional inequalities in Ireland 14
Box 1.2. The Architecture of the National Planning Framework (NPF) and the Review Process 18
Box 3.1. Effective Multi-level Governance for Talent Attraction: Canada 30
Box 3.2. Fostering agreement-based cooperation among local governments 33
Box 3.3. Vertical cooperation across levels of government 45
Box 4.1. OECD work on Metropolitan Governance 48
Box 4.2. Innovative Governance Mechanisms for City-Region Co-operation 50