The Basque Country is one of few regions to proactively and consistently build a successful, industry-focused territorial strategy over several decades. With a strong trajectory of growth and transformation since the mid-1980s, it has been identified as a success case in several prestigious international studies (Including analyses authored by the OECD, Michael Porter and Kevin Morgan).
Evolution of per capita GDP in the Basque Country and Spain, 1930-2019
Source: Own elaboration based on Alcaide (2003), De la Fuente (2047), Eustat y Ameco.
Today the Basque Country is among the top regions in Europe in both GDP per capita and in having a low percentage of population at risk of poverty or social exclusion.
Orkestra has explored the key features of the Basque Territorial Strategy over the last decades and has published several reports that provide lessons for other territories seeking to build resilient economic development over the long term.
The Basque Country:
Strategy for Economic Development
By: Michael E. Porter, Christian H.M. Ketels and Jesus M. Valdaliso
Long-term regional strategy for inclusive competitiveness: The Basque Country case 2008-2020
By: Mari Jose Aranguren, Patricia Canto, Edurne Magro, Mikel Navarro, James R. Wilson and Jesús Mari Valdaliso
Shared visioning as an approach to regional strategic foresight: The experience of Euskadi 2040
By: Mari Jose Aranguren, Ane Izulain and James Wilson
Lessons for Wales from the Basque Innovation Ecosystem
By the Learned Society of Wales
The Basque Country Competitiveness Report
Every year, Orkestra produces the Basque Country Competitiveness Report to analyse the competitiveness of the Basque Country compared to other European regions. The aim of the report is to identify the key challenges we are facing and to open a debate with Basque Society on how to address those challenges. It is one of our main tools for understanding the current situation and facilitating decision-making in the region.
By combining an analysis of current competitiveness and wellbeing outcomes, competitiveness levers and structural context, the Basque Country Competitiveness Report 2023 identified six recommendations to boost competitiveness around sustainability. These recommendations can also be useful for other territories seeking to promote structural changes that contribute to achieving an economy and society with a low environmental footprint and that generate better results both in economic and business terms and in terms of wellbeing.
Regional Competitiveness Observatory
The Regional Competitiveness Observatory compares the situation and evolution of more than 200 European regions through 34 key indicators for competitiveness.
The aim of this tool is to foster improvement in the study of regional competitiveness by offering a starting point for different regional analyses that are conducted both within and outside the Institute. The data on the observatory is updated in real time using sources like Eurostat, the OECD’s REGPAT database or The European Social Survey.
