Browse by: "2008"

This publication reviews migration policies in the main OECD countries receiving West African migrants and analyses the recent discussions within Europe. This report lists common approaches undertaken in Europe, Africa and West Africa and aims to shed light on decision makers’ strategic thinking. It provides the greater public with an objective understanding of this recent dynamic.

Drawing on OECD statistics in particular, ‘Understanding Economic Statistics: an OECD perspective' shows readers how to use statistics to understand the world economy. It gives an overview of the history, key concepts and the main providers of economic statistics. A detailed chapter provides a comprehensive picture of the main statistical activities of the OECD.  Finally, the book explores the crucial issue of quality assurance and the implications for public trust.

This report provides the reader with the first available internationally comparable figures on key transport trends. It analyses the transport situation in the western and eastern European countries, as well as the Baltic States and the CIS. For the first time, data are provided on transport among ECMT associated countries, Australia, Canada, Japan, Korea, Mexico, New Zealand and the USA. Coverage is provided for Freight Transport, Passenger Transport, and Road Safety for 1970, 1990, 2000, 2004, and 2005.

This new biennial publication presents the latest available information on 26 major current trends in education, grouped in 9 broad themes (ageing, global challenges, the new economic landscape, work and jobs, the learning society, ICT, citizenship and the state, social connections and values, and sustainable affluence). For each trend, there is a two-page spread, containing a short introduction, two figures with accompanying text followed by three key questions about the impact of the trend on the future of education. A dynamic link (StatLink) is provided for each figure, which directs the user to a web page where the corresponding data are available in Excel®.

Each year around 1.2 million people are killed and 50 million are injured on roads around the world. But crashes are largely preventable and much can be done to reduce the burden of pain they cause and their economic impact. This report takes stock of recent developments and initiatives to meet increasingly ambitious road safety targets, and constitutes a major international review of progress in developing Safe System approaches, now adopted in a small number of countries.

This study identifies key factors influencing the timing of high-level waste (HLW) disposal and examines how social acceptability, technical soundness, environmental responsibility and economic feasibility impact on national strategies for HLW management and disposal. Based on case study analyses, it also presents the strategic approaches adopted in a number of national policies to address public concerns and civil society requirements regarding long-term stewardship of high-level radioactive waste. The findings and conclusions of the study confirm the importance of informing all stakeholders and involving them in the decision-making process in order to implement HLW disposal strategies successfully.

The standard cost-benefit analysis of transport infrastructure investment projects weighs a project’s costs against users’ benefits. This approach has been challenged on the grounds that it ignores wider economic impacts of such projects. At this International Transport Forum Round Table, leading academics and practitioners addressed these concerns and examined a range of potential approaches for evaluating wider impacts – negative as well as positive. They concluded that for smaller projects, it is better to focus on timely availability of results, even if this means forgoing sophisticated analysis of wider impacts. For larger projects or investment programs, customized analysis of these effects is more easily justifiable. Creating consistent appraisal procedures is a research priority.

Over the past 20 years, the management of the public service has changed tremendously in most OECD countries. First, governments have tried to reduce the size of their public employment to decrease the costs of producing government services, either directly or indirectly by contracting out the production of services to the private sector under the assumption that it would be more efficient. Second, in many cases, governments have tried to apply general good management principles to the management of public employees. As a consequence, many areas of public employment have lost their uniqueness and have become quite similar to the general employment system in the different countries. This book takes stock of the main changes in the management of public services across OECD countries. It also examines how countries manage to find a balance between, on the one hand, attention to fundamental values such as fairness, equity, justice and social cohesion to maintain political confidence in the government system as a whole and, on the other hand, a focus on efficiency, productivity and effectiveness.

This book examines the historical, diplomatic, economic, and strategic aspects of the European Recovery Program (ERP) - popularly known as the Marshall Plan - which brought Europe out of the chaos, hunger, poverty, desperation, and ashes of World War II. In it, authors from a variety of countries who are scholars, policy makers, and business leaders,  address applications of the Marshall Plan’s lessons learned to the 21st century for capacity building, human and sustainable development, and the role of public, private partnerships in emerging market economies and democratic societies.

In a world which is already characterised by significant international migration of health workers, OECD countries face a challenge in responding to the growing demand for doctors and nurses over the next 20 years. This book provides new information on the migration of health workers and migration policies and identifies possible ways forward. It is the main outcome of a joint OECD-WHO project on the management of health-related human resources and international migration.

Corruption is a serious concern in many parts of the world. In Eastern Europe and Central Asia, transition processes provided particularly rich ground for corruption. This volume analyses a broad range of anti-corruption measures recently implemented in Eastern Europe and Central Asia and identifies where interim progress has been achieved, and where further or reinforced action is needed. The book covers such areas as: anti-corruption strategies, and action plans and mechanisms to monitor their implementation; as well as anti-corruption criminal legislation and its application in practice, including the key role of specialised, independent and well-resourced anti-corruption law-enforcement bodies. The volume also examines a diverse range of measures to prevent corruption among public officials, in political parties, and in the private sector. It  is rich with country data and practical examples, and will provide a useful source of information for anti-corruption decision makers and practitioners in Eastern Europe and Central Asia and beyond. 

Globalisation is quickly reshaping the international economic landscape, resulting in an increasing global supply of science and technology (S&T) resources and capabilities. This book analyses trends in the offshoring of R&D, examines its drivers and motivations, and identifies implications for innovation policy. It examines the internationalisation of R&D through foreign direct investment (FDI) by multinational enterprises (MNEs), which account for the bulk of business R&D in the OECD area. It also discusses complementary aspects of the global innovation landscape, such as the internationalisation of science, the growing importance of international technology co-operation and the growing international mobility of researchers.