Foreword and acknowledgements

Across OECD countries, globalisation is increasingly testing the capacity of regional economies to adapt and exploit their competitive advantages, while also offering new opportunities for regional development. This is leading national and regional authorities to rethink their development strategies. As a result of decentralisation, central governments no longer have the sole responsibility for development policies, and different levels of government have to work effectively together to improve public service delivery. Metropolitan areas, because of their critical economic and environmental importance, are receiving particular attention. Metropolitan regions are the engines of social, economic and cultural development, and their dynamism - or lack thereof – has an impact on the overall national economic development agenda.