So that we don’t stop at observations, where do we start, how do we act, what do we transform?
This will be the challenge of the second phase of Rebonds, which kicks off in September 2024 with a series of experiments carried out by participating communities. We drew on to identify problems, unthinkables and possible levers, and to formulate new hypotheses (WHAT IF… we did things differently?) and concrete ideas to test their relevance and soundness (it could look like …).
These ideas were formulated at the level of the agents involved in the program, enriched by inspirations we gathered along the way, challenged by the researchers working with us.
The ones presented here are a first step, since they will be reworked by the communities who will appropriate them, as a first step towards a bifurcation of their approaches. We invite you to browse through them as sources of inspiration, and maybe you’ll want to adopt some of your own?
IDEAS FOR… USING EVALUATION TO ENHANCE LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
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Et si on théorisait mieux les politiques de développement éconmique ?
We could test : ACTION TRAINING FOR A COLLECTIVE of local assessors/economic developers/ecological transition/social action managers in a new steering method, to co-produce the community’s economic development theory.
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Et si on faisait rentrer les modèles alternatifs du développement économique au coeur du réacteur ?
we could test : A SHARED TOOL to clarify vision and choices, to be more intentional in matching measures to desired effects, to learn how to evolve strategy over time (V0, V1, V2, etc.).
A first step: a workshop between economic developers and evaluators from neighboring regions or those facing a common problem, to share their evaluation practices and familiarize themselves with tools to be more reflective and intentional ( Markers in Nantesthe Lindsay Cole’s theory of change flowers Theory of Change, etc.) and draw up specifications for their own.
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Et si on démocratisait l’évaluation des politiques de développement économique ?
we could test : To start with, an ECONOMY FESTIVAL to “unfold” local economic development in a democratic way, open beyond its traditional players and on an informal basis. A first step: a workshop to write the “short history of local economic development”, bringing together a few local elected representatives and agents, economic players and representatives of civil society, to shed light on key events, past crises, the biases adopted, the players involved, and collectively draw up new indicators for the future.
At a more advanced stage, a CITIZEN ECONOMIC CONVENTION would entail entrusting an assembly of citizens with the task of proposing, after a phase of work and hearings, a series of indicators and structuring measures to redirect local economic development policies towards the objective of reducing inequalities and redirecting ecology. The first step is a simulation of this convention with a small group of volunteers, to check feasibility and implementation methods.
IDEAS FOR …DEVELOPING THE “ECONOMIC LITTERACY” OF ELECTED OFFICIALS
… How about training elected representatives in new approaches to economic development?
We could test A TRAINING SYSTEM FOR NEW APPROACHES TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, which would bring together elected representatives and agents with different areas of responsibility (economy, public procurement, urban planning, transition, urban policy, etc.) to look at the economy through the prism of several public policies and question the “economic quality” of the territory.
A first step: a workshop with a few elected representatives to investigate economic development “models” geared to the long-term needs of a territory, in order to understand their biases, their incarnations, the way they shed light on local economic issues, and what they would imply for each of their delegations. The output could be a projection of each of these models, for example, on the strategy for welcoming companies, in order to give them a concrete incarnation and discuss the choices to be made.
… What if we helped elected representatives convinced of the need for a paradigm shift to have a greater impact?
we could test THE TOOL OF CONVINCED ELECTORS to get other local elected representatives and decision-makers involved in a shared reading of the issues, prioritizations and renunciations to be orchestrated. The first step is to map out, with a few elected representatives from different local authorities, to map out the peers you need to convince as a priority, and think about the most useful arguments, formats and channels of influence.
IDEAS FOR… RE-TOOLING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT POLICIES TO BETTER ACCELERATE THE TRANSITION OF SME/SMALL BUSINESSES
What if we relied on intermediary players or networks to mobilize and engage companies in transitions?
we could try out: AN “INCREASED” COMPANIES FOR CLIMATE CONVENTION in which the local authority would play a role, for example by mobilizing the region’s VSEs/SMEs to take part in these courses, or by supporting, including financially, the implementation of the resulting roadmap.
What if we could compensate for the lack of engineering skills of certain players (small businesses or local authorities) to initiate transitions?
we could test: A MUTUALIZED CSR/transition FUNCTION between VSEs and SMEs, for example by mobilizing the skills present within the region’s large companies to offer collective patronage to smaller ones.
A first step: Organize an exchange between the CSR managers of a major local company and some of its local suppliers to identify their needs in terms of transitions, and draw up the specifications for a shared function (needs, formats, etc.).
How about a more collective and open form of territorial economic governance?
we could test:A CCI “SHADOW” involving networks and economic players committed to transition issues, designed along the lines of a “shadowshadow” codir or comex, parallel” management committees “These committees are tasked with providing a fresh perspective on the decisions taken by the “official” board of directors.
AN IDEA FOR… BUILDING A COMMON APPROACH TO LAND AND ITS USES
What if we managed a business park like a commune?
we could test THE CONSTRUCTION OF A ZAE’S COLLECTIVE MANAGEMENT CHARTER with the companies located there and the local authority (water management services, PCAET, mobility, waste…). The aim would be to agree and commit to virtuous development and management methods, to encourage the sharing of spaces and services, and to create a common culture of sobriety and cooperation. This would enable us to test the motivation to work together and the most promising areas for cooperation.
AN IDEA FOR… RECONNECTING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WITH SOCIAL JUSTICE ISSUES
What if we made the ordinary economy the priority of economic development policies?
we could test A CIRCULAR ECONOMY OF THE ORDINARY METROPOLITAN ECONOMY BETWEEN COMPANIES IN A ZAE. This would involve working with companies to enable them to cooperate in the recruitment process: sharing CVs received, drawing up common job descriptions, pooling positions, and improving job quality (travel, catering, childcare, etc.). This would optimize recruitment processes, saving time for companies and employees alike, improve working conditions and enhance the value of these professions.
IDEAS FOR… OBJECTIFYING INTERDEPENDENCIES AND COOPERATION BETWEEN TERRITORIES
How about developing methods for analyzing and representing territorial interdependencies?
we could test: AN INTER-TERRITORIAL DONUT, built with local urban planning, economic development and energy-climate agencies, and the departments of two neighboring communities. The aim would be to build a shared understanding of the territory through the prism of global boundaries, and to test the availability of data, the level of shared culture, and the motivation to cooperate. To go a step further, we could work on translating data on material and immaterial flows between two territories, enabling us to qualify their interdependencies and vulnerabilities, into a NEGOTIATION AND DECISION-MAKING TOOL to help local public and private players increase the territory’s economic resilience.
How about creating more flexible and agile cooperation frameworks?
We could test AN INTER-TERRITORIAL PACT TO FACILITATE INTERCONNECTION AND NEGOTIATION.
Two first steps in this direction: a survey of elected representatives/agents to pool the challenges of close or similar territories, verify the hypothesis of complementarity between them, and identify the right working scale; a controversy workshop for elected representatives on the (various) approaches to economic development through the prism of transitions, to test the compatibility/incompatibility of visions and the subjects to prioritize in the pact.