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How do taxes and charges for transport in, for example, France compare with those in Germany? Do hauliers in one country pay more than in the other, and what impact does this have on the profitability of haulage in each country? Is the impact of an increase in tax on diesel the same in each country or are differences in the taxation of labour more significant? Do these differences distort the international haulage market? This book provides a framework for international comparisons and discusses the economic principles for efficient systems of taxation. The work provides a basis for addressing the questions "what is the right level for transport taxes" and "what kinds of charges should be used".
This annual report provides detailed information on the amount and composition of the external debt of each of 173 countries and territories at the end of 1999, with corresponding revised figures for 1998. In addition, estimates are provided of the amortisation payments due by each country on long-term debt in 2000. These data are reported to the OECD by Member countries’ governments and credit institutions, and the main international organisations. Common reporting rules, together with timely reporting, allow for a comprehensive, consistent and up-to-date account of external debt, making this publication invaluable for all those interested in international comparisons and country risk analysis.
Contains a major international compilation of energy prices of all market levels: import prices, industry prices and consumer prices. The statistics cover main petroleum products, gas, coal, and electricity, giving for imported products on average price both for importing country and country of origin. Every issue includes full notes on sources and methods and a description of price mechanisms in each country. This issue's special features cover oil prices and taxes in the year 2000 and steam and coking coal prices.
This book is the first comprehensive study to review and take stock in OECD countries of progress in developing indicators to measure the environmental performance of agriculture. Using standard indicator definitions and methods of calculation, the book provides results of the state and trends of environmental conditions in agriculture; interprets trends and highlights linkages between indicators; and, outlines the limitations and key challenges for their future development.
Municipal waste has increased 22 % per capita from 1980 to 1997. At the same time, the difficulty of siting new waste disposal facilities has increased. While major progress has been made to lessen the per capita generation of air and water pollution over the past decades, waste generation is still on the rise. Faced with the increase of waste, many governments have reviewed available policy options and concluded that placing the responsibility for the post-consumer phase of certain goods on producers could provide a means to relieve certain environmental pressures, arising from post-consumer waste. Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is a policy approach under which producers accept significant responsibility - financial and/or physical - for the treatment or disposal of post-consumer products. Assigning such responsibility could provide incentives to prevent wastes at the source, promote product design for the environment and support the achievement of public recycling and materials management goals. Within the OECD the trend is towards the extension of EPR to new products, product groups and waste streams such as electrical appliances and electronics. This guidance manual represents one means to inform national governments about the potential benefits and costs associated with EPR.
This publication presents annual energy consumption data in manufacturing sectors. Over the last 25 years, energy consumption has become just as important as energy supply for policy makers. There is a need for energy efficiency indicators and data to monitor developments in energy consumption and energy efficiency trends as they affect the environment. In order to analyse energy use and energy efficiency, it is essential to have disaggregated industry level consumption data. This publication provides such data. Time series of annual energy consumption are provided at the disaggregated manufacturing industry level for most of the OECD countries from 1990 to 1999 where available.
The International Energy Agency's detailed quarterly report on developments in energy prices and taxes in OECD and selected non-OECD Countries. Prices are provided at all market levels: import prices, industry prices and consumer prices. The statistics cover main petroleum products, gas, coal, and electricity and prices are provided in both national currencies and in US dollars. Coverage is provided as far back as 1980 on an annual basis. This issue's feature article covers the short-term energy outlook.
As pervasive technological change and growing interdependence among countries contribute to restructuring economic activity and shaping everyday life, lifelong learning's value grows. How far have countries progressed toward lifelong learning for all? Who is being left behind, and in what ways? How might schools evolve to address remaining gaps?
In this special edition of Education Policy Analysis prepared as background for the 2001 meeting of OECD education ministers, these questions and others are explored. The analysis shows that progress and success in realising lifelong learning for all depend on clarity in framing objectives for lifelong learning and appropriate information for monitoring policy experience and examining policy options. The five chapters in this book draw upon the policy experience and trends in OECD countries to examine: -- promising directions for lifelong learning policies; -- country performance in realising lifelong learning outcomes; -- differences in participation in lifelong learning, including along a so-called "digital divide"; -- competencies demanded in the knowledge economy; -- alternate futures for schools.
Trotz des raschen Wirtschaftswachstums in vielen Teilen der Welt lebt immer noch jeder fünfte Bewohner unseres Planeten von weniger als 1 $ pro Tag. Die Halbierung der weltweiten Armut, wie sie im Rahmen der internationalen Entwicklungsziele fest angestrebt wird, stellt heute die von allen anerkannte Priorität der internationalen Entwicklungszusammenarbeit dar. So ist sie auch das zentrale Thema des diesjährigen Berichts über die Entwicklungszusammenarbeit. Der Bericht gibt einen Überblick über die jüngsten Fortschritte bei der Verwirklichung dieser Ziele, die Trends der Entwicklungsfinanzierung sowie die Politik und Leistungen der Geber. Das Augenmerk gilt dabei besonders zwei entwicklungspolitischen Maßnahmen, die einen wesentlichen Beitrag zur Armutsbekämpfung leisten können, nämlich Investitionen in das Gesundheitswesen zum einen sowie der systematischen Förderung der Gleichstellung von Mann und Frau zum anderen.
What are the problems faced by SMEs in OECD countries and developing and transition economies in today’s globalising world? What are the framework conditions that influence SMEs’ incentives and capacities to innovate? What is the optimal role of public policy in consolidating and developing clusters? Are SMEs failing to capture the full benefits of e-commerce and if so, why? Which are the best-practice instruments for fostering co-operation and partnership between SMEs in OECD and non-OECD countries?
The OECD Bologna Conference gathered Ministers, high-level policy makers and business representatives from more than 50 countries and 60 international organisations with a view to releasing the potential of SMEs and enhancing their access to global markets. The Bologna Ministerial Conference has contributed to putting SMEs at the forefront of the international policy agenda.
It has been widely recognised among researchers that speciation data are essential for proper and reliable modelling of radionuclide behaviour, which is studied inter alia in the context of radioactive waste management. Participants at the OECD/NEA workshop on "Evaluation of Speciation Technology" reviewed the various techniques used to identify different species of actinide and fission product elements present in nuclear waste and nuclear reprocessing streams. The review takes into account the advantages, disadvantages and limitations of the various methods in relation to their field of application. Recommendations for future R&D are also provided. These proceedings will primarily be of interest to chemists specialised in separation techniques and radioactive waste management experts.
The International Energy Agency's detailed quarterly report on developments in energy prices and taxes in OECD and selected non-OECD Countries. Prices are provided at all market levels: import prices, industry prices and consumer prices. The statistics cover main petroleum products, gas, coal, and electricity and prices are provided in both national currencies and in US dollars. Coverage is provided as far back as 1980 on an annual basis. This issue's feature article covers electricity network pricing.
This 2001 edition of Education at a Glance - OECD Indicators provides a rich, comparable and up-to-date array of indicators. The indicators represent the consensus of professional thinking on how to measure the current state of education internationally. They provide information on the human and financial resources invested in education, on how education and learning systems operate and evolve, and on the returns to educational investments. The thematic organisation of the volume and the background information accompanying the tables and charts make this publication a valuable resource for anyone interested in analysing education systems across countries.
This year's edition of Education at a Glance includes new indicators on: how the levels and distributions of student achievement have evolved; the incentive structures governments offer to attract and retain qualified teachers; the availability and use of information and communication technologies in the teaching-learning process; public subsidies and transfers for education and their beneficiaries; and participation in skill improvement among the employed population.
Finally, for many indicators, a significantly larger number of OECD countries are now providing data. Through the World Education Indicators programme, a wide range of non-member countries have also contributed to this year’s edition of Education at a Glance, extending the coverage of some of the indicators to almost two-thirds of the world population.
Are the new information and communication technologies transforming education and learning in OECD countries? There is certainly an upsurge in investigations and inquiries into e-learning by all kinds of parties and interest groups -- governmental, professional, commercial -- and from education communities.
The universal « mega-trends » associated with globalisation mean that partnership in providing e-learning material is needed to manage cost and complexity in the face of competition that may come from any part of the world. This raises important questions about the public interest and the public good especially in school education which find different responses in different OECD countries; yet increased public-private sector partnering appears a well-nigh universal phenomenon.
This publication explores closely the e-learning developments respectively in the school and in the higher education sector in terms of market prospects and partnership creation. The fastest developments are seen in post-secondary and corporate education. However, technology alone does not deliver education success. It only becomes valuable in education if learners and teachers can do something useful with it. There is now a definite shift of focus from technology to content and people in several OECD countries.
The International Energy Agency's 2001 review of New Zealand's energy policies and programmes. It finds that New Zealand is very active in all areas of energy policy. This report focuses on electricity deregulation and on policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But gas supply depletion and the 1998 Auckland power failure are reminders of the fundamental importance of energy security.
New Zealand is working towards ratifying the Kyoto Protocol by mid-2002, the only OECD country to make such a commitment outside the European Union. Agriculture is the main contributor to greenhouse emissions in New Zealand. Electricity generation contributes very little at present. The focus should be on agriculture and transport. International agreement on emissions trading and sinks, on which progress has been slow, is vital to New Zealand’s approach.
New Zealand is preparing a National Energy Efficiency and Conservation Strategy. Attention needs to be given to transport. Residential energy consumption must not be allowed to grow too fast, as the economy recovers. New Zealand has demonstrated that electricity market liberalisation can succeed in a small country, although government shareholdings remain high, and the government owns Transpower, the transmission and system operator. Small consumers have not always benefited from changes in the electricity market. The government’s Power Package aims to strengthen industry self-governance, to bring the benefits of market reform to the retail market, and to address weaknesses in industry regulation.
New Zealand’s approach to energy sector regulation is unique in the world. The report discusses the strengths and weaknesses of New Zealand’s regulatory system.
The International Energy Agency's 2001 review of Australia's energy policies and programmes. It finds that Australia is rich in low-cost energy resources, especially coal. The country exports large amounts of coal, liquefied natural gas and uranium to the Asia-Pacific region and beyond. This contributes to international availability and security of energy supply. Efforts are under way to increase LNG exports and to make Australian coal even more competitive.
For most of the past decade, Australia has been at the forefront of energy market liberalisation. Following liberalisation by individual states in the early 1990s, the competitive National Electricity Market was established in 1998. The NEM integrates markets across the eastern and south-eastern states. The benefits have been considerable: strong competition, significant price reductions and consumer choice. Gas market reform has been under way since 1997 and is beginning to yield the first benefits. More work is needed to complete the reform process. In the power market, this includes open access for all consumers and providing efficient price signals for interconnection.
The Australian government spends almost A$ 1 billion on climate change mitigation programmes. Many of these programmes are market-oriented, including a mandatory certificates trading system.
The International Energy Agency's detailed quarterly report on developments in energy prices and taxes in OECD and selected non-OECD Countries. Prices are provided at all market levels: import prices, industry prices and consumer prices. The statistics cover main petroleum products, gas, coal, and electricity and prices are provided in both national currencies and in US dollars. Coverage is provided as far back as 1980 on an annual basis. This issue's feature article covers the economics of nuclear power.
It is now widely recognised that a greater use of market based instruments is a key element of effective and economically efficient environmental policies, and an important framework condition for sustainable development. Hence, over the last decade, economic instruments have been playing a growing role in environmental policies of OECD countries. In this context, a distinctive feature is the increasing role of environmentally related taxes. All countries have introduced environmental taxes to a varying extent, and an increasing number of countries are implementing comprehensive green-tax reforms, while others are contemplating doing so.
This report analyses current use of environmentally related taxes in OECD Member countries. Focus is given to their environmental effectiveness. The report identifies obstacles to a broader use of such taxes -- in particular the fear of loss of sectoral competitiveness -- and ways to overcome such problems.