Beyond Consultation

Ep 15 - How can we get Economic Development Working for Everyone? with Dr. David Wilson

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Introducing Dr. David Wilson

From owning a surf shop to being involved in the $3 billion Provincial Growth Fund Dr. David Wilson has been on quite the economic development journey.

As a surf shop owner, David felt how New Zealand’s small businesses could be at the mercy of bigger social trends. This led him back to university to study social policy and psychology.

And he didn’t stop there.

With a drive to address the deep problems in society and a growing interest in regional economic development he completed a Masters in Public Policy and his Doctorate in Governance and Regional Economic Development.

David’s focus is creating positive change for communities through economic development. You can see this in his recent joint submission to the New Zealand Productivity Commission’s Draft Report on Frontier Firms, with Ifor Ffowcs-Williams and Dr. Dough Galwey.

You can reach out and connect with Dr. David Wilson via LinkedIn.

In today’s episode you’ll learn
  • Why economic development starts by connecting to the whakapapa (the genealogy and history) of place and people.
  • The importance of deliberately distributing power to the right level (what David calls the principle of subsidiarity).
  • Why the regional level (rather than a local or national level) is often most powerful way to think about economic development.
  • How you can support economic development across a region.
  • How to encourage collaboration across communities.
    • Resources mentioned in this episode
    • Dr. David’s Website - Cities and Regions NZ
    • Website: World of Learning - Economic Development New Zealand
    • Report: NZPC’s Draft Report
    • Article [Press Release]: NZ: Prisoner of an Outdated Paradigm (co-authored with Ifor Ffowcs-Williams and Dr. Doug Galwey)
    • Full Submission: NZ: Prisoner of an Outdated Paradigm (by Dr. David Wilson, Ifor Ffowcs-Williams and Dr. Doug Galwey)
    • Inquiry: New Zealand Firms: Reaching for the Frontier (New Zealand Productivity Commission)
    • Article: Dr. David Wilson: Our Regions need to Diversify
    • Report: Powering up the Regions, by Dr. David Wilson
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