News
Cultivating Local Inclusive Growth: in practice
A new report from the NLGN makes a research-based call for us all to think differently about what constitutes economic success. Focusing on inclusive growth, the report is pitched as ” a truly practical guide that outlines what local government can do, right now, to make inclusive growth happen.”
Taking a “backcasting” approach, the report looks at how practitioners are interpreting the notion of the inclusive economy, and works “…backwards towards understanding”.
The NLGN have believe these general principles that should underpin local inclusive growth strategies:
- Clarity on outcomes: Being clear on what needs to change, what should be created, and how it can be measured.
- Buy-in from citizens: moving away from gaining consent to make changes, instead creating policies which are inclusive by outcome and design
- Local focus: plans should be tailored to take account of local contexts
- Collaboration & peer learning: Plans need to be developed in collaboration with all key local economic actors as well as be connected to wider local government
The NLGN have also identified16 specific policy levers that councils can pull to promote local inclusive growth, dependent on the individual contexts of local areas. This recognises that there are no “silver bullets” in creating change. They believe this “…framework of levers offers a sense of the breadth of approach needed.”
