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As countries strive to reform education systems and improve student results, school leadership is high on education policy agendas. But in many countries, the men and women who run schools are overburdened, underpaid and near retirement. And few people are lining up for their jobs. Based on an OECD study of school leadership practices and policies around the world, and offering a unique cross country perspective, this book identifies four policy levers and a range of policy options to help governments improve school leadership now and build sustainable leadership for the future.
This book explores what specialists are saying about system leadership for school improvement. Case studies examine innovative approaches to sharing leadership across schools in Belgium (Flanders), Finland and the United Kingdom (England) and leadership development programmes for system improvement in Australia and Austria. As these are emerging practices, the book provides a first international comparison and assessment of the state of the art of system leadership.
Norway is committed to a high quality and equitable education system, as demonstrated by its high level of public expenditure on education and the dynamic policy activity targeting education quality. Despite progress made in enhancing average student performance in recent years, there still are significant differences between schools in municipalities and between municipalities and regions. In response, Norway has started to implement the new competence development model that sets out to develop teacher professionalism with in-service professional development. With this new policy, the Government of Norway aims to provide municipalities and schools with greater freedom of action and empower them to carry out systematic school improvements at the local level. This decentralised approach would respond to local context and the diversity of needs between Norwegian schools.
This report aims to support Norway in this effort, analysing the features of the new model, the engagement of the different stakeholders and the policy context for its introduction. Building on the OECD implementation framework, the report proposes concrete actions to adapt the implementation strategy for impact.
The report will be valuable not only for Norway, but also to the many countries that are looking to promote school-based professional development and bridge the gap between policy design and effective implementation.
This report develops comparative knowledge for reforms in teacher and school management policies in the context of an OECD member country: Mexico. Mexico’s education outcomes can be improved by enhancing the effectiveness of its schools. The standards gap between the performance of students in Mexico and other OECD countries can only be reduced if schools become good at what they do. This report looks at key issues and challenges faced by the Mexican education system and provides policy recommendations on school management, leadership and teacher policies. These recommendations have been developed by considering the outcomes, quality and standards of education and schools in Mexico in terms of what is known internationally about effective schools, and by adapting this knowledge to the Mexican context.
The report has two audiences: It aims to support the Mexican government and key actors in the education system to develop long-term vision and policy in the areas of school management, school leadership, social participation, selection and recruitment of teachers, teacher education, professional development, and evaluation policies in Mexico. At the same time, it provides valuable knowledge in education policy development and implementation useful for other OECD member and partner countries that are in the process of reforming their education systems.
Much has been done to improve the accessibility of transport systems in recent years. The ECMT has prepared this Guide to Good Practice in order to facilitate such an exchange of experience. It addresses both countries where improvements to accessibility are under way, and those that are just now making that commitment.
With examples from recent experience in a wide range of countries, this Guide updates the ECMT’s 1999 Guide, pointing to areas where progress has been made as well as to those where challenges persist. In particular, it covers principles for provision of information generally, how to improve information regarding the road and pedestrian environment, how to improve information provided within transport infrastructure, how to improve information provided relative to transport vehicles, new and innovative transport services, and private cars, and the roles of government.
Cities are places of opportunity. They provide not just jobs but a whole range of public, cultural, social and consumption amenities. Transport is what connects people to these opportunities and cities provide access with varying degrees of success – especially when it comes to modes of transport that favour a green transition. This report argues that building sustainable transport networks for accessible cities requires a holistic planning approach, a sound institutional framework, reliable sources of funding, strong governmental capacity, and should build on community engagement. Urban accessibility requires coherent allocation of responsibilities across levels of government to support strategic planning. The report proposes concrete actions that cities can take to adapt their institutional framework, to improve transport planning and ensure they have access to sustainable sources of funding to implement their plans.
A large number of people with mobility handicaps have difficulty using transport systems and this number will increase significantly over the coming decades. It is therefore essential that transport infrastructure and systems are designed and built to cater for their needs.
This publication sets out key principles and guidelines for making all transport modes and related infrastructure more accessible. In addition, it provides examples and illustrations of good practice from many different countries.
It is intended to help policy makers, planners, architects, and others working in this field, improve accessibility for people with mobility handicaps.
Are breast cancer survival rates higher in the United States than in the United Kingdom and France? Are a patient's chances of dying within 30 days after admission to a hospital with a heart attack lower in Canada than in Korea? Are surgeons in some countries more likely to leave “foreign bodies” behind after operations or make accidental punctures or lacerations rates when performing surgery? The need for answers to these kinds of questions and the value of measuring the quality of health care are among the issues addressed in this publication.
Many health policies depend on our ability to measure the quality of care accurately. Governments want to increase “patient-centeredness”, improve co-ordination of care, and pay providers of high-quality care more than those who underperform. However, measuring the quality of health care is challenging. The OECD’s Health Care Quality Indicator project has overcome some of the problems, though many remain. If policy makers are serious about improving the body of evidence on the quality of care, they need to improve their health information systems. This publication describes what international comparable quality measures are currently available and how to link these measures to quality policies such as accreditation, practice guidelines, pay-for-performance, national safety programmes and quality reporting.
This report brings together the recent work done by OECD on water management issues and identifies the main policy challenges for sustainable water management. Issues discussed are: performance of water management policies in OECD countries; water pricing; financing of water and wastewater infrastructure; water-related development co-operation; social aspects of water pricing; biochemical technologies for improving water quality; and aid to the water supply and sanitation sector. Co-published by IWA Publishing, London: www.iwapublishing.com
Substantial amounts of money continue to be spent in OECD countries on measures to support agriculture, energy, transportation and industrial activities. Many of these support measures encourage the emission of environmentally harmful pollutants, the generation of waste, and the excessive use of natural resources; and they constitute a large drain on government budgets. In addition, much of the money spent on support may not reach the intended recipients as it can leak away to other sectors of the economy instead. As such, it is likely that the reform or removal of these subsidies could lead to "win-win" benefits through increased economic efficiency, reduced government spending and improved environmental quality.
This publication compiles eight case studies undertaken as part of an OECD study on how economic support measures actually affect the economy and, as a result, the environment. These case studies analyse the effects of particular support schemes and/or the possibilities for their reform. The objective is to further develop understanding of how the combination of the particular elements of a support scheme, the sector it is applied in, and other factors impact on the environment. A wide range of sectors are examined, including agriculture, energy, transport, industry, and metals production.
Substantial amounts of money continue to be spent in OECD Member countries on measures to support agricultural, energy, transportation and industrial activities. Many of these support measures encourage the emission of environmentally-harmful pollutants, the generation of waste, and the excessive use of natural resources, and constitute a large drain on government budgets. In addition, much of the money spent on support may not reach the intended recipients as it can leak away to other sectors of the economy instead. As such, it is likely that the reform or removal of these subsidies could lead to "win-win" benefits through increased economic efficiency, reduced government spending and improved environmental quality.
Building on the vast literature on the subject as well as on the available statistical data on subsidies, this publication summarises the results of an OECD study on how economic support measures actually affect the economy and, as a result, the environment. Although the effects of a given support measure on the environment will be determined by a number of different factors, this study finds that releasing market forces through support removal and increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of regulations can lead to significant environmental benefits.
The report develops an analytical framework which enables policy makers to identify those support measures whose removal is most likely to lead to "win-win" benefits. It also offers recommendations to implementing reductions in environmentally-harmful subsidies -- especially those that run counter to environmental objectives that are shared by OECD Member countries -- and to overcome the often exaggerated fear of a loss in competitiveness.
Agriculture has major impacts on the environment, especially on land use, soil and water quality, biodiversity and landscapes, which is a growing public concern in OECD countries. The challenge is to find ways for agriculture to efficiently and profitably produce sufficient and safe food to meet growing world demand without harming the environment and degrading natural resources. Agricultural policies often provide substantial production-linked support that have boosted farm output, but with mixed results on environmental quality. The reform of agricultural policies and trade liberalisation has started to alter signals to farmers, leading to changes in farm practices, which will contribute to enhancing the beneficial and reducing the harmful environmental impacts of agriculture. Despite some progress in the environmental performance of agriculture over the last decade, there is still much room for improvement and more needs to be done. On which principles should policies be based? Who should pay or be paid for ensuring environmental quality? When could market approaches be harnessed for charging and remunerating environmental quality? And when might policy action be needed? This report sheds light on these questions and provides criteria and guidelines for the better design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies addressing environmental issues in agriculture.
This report examines how to promote sustainable infrastructure investment. It discusses data needs for infrastructure investment and the current environment, social and governance (ESG) approaches before offering policy recommendations to help ensure that investors are better equipped to make investment decisions related to infrastructure assets. The report explores legal and regulatory barriers to quality infrastructure investment, and considers how governments can help infrastructure actors promote quality infrastructure projects, ensure project objectives and reporting correspond with investor expectations, and how to mobilise funding and financing for inclusive and quality infrastructure investment in both regions and cities.
While Central Asia has proven relatively resilient to the shocks of COVID-19, China’s slowdown and Russia’s war in Ukraine, declining trend rates of growth across the region, lacklustre productivity performance and lingering global uncertainty underscore the need to address weaknesses in the business and investment climate. The implementation of predictable rules, the creation of a level-playing field between firms and greater competition in markets, in particular, could encourage both local entrepreneurs and foreign investors to invest and grow in the region. This report presents an assessment of progress since the 2019-2020 analysis of the legal environment for business and investment in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan against the backdrop of the changing international context brought about by COVID and the war.
Cost-benefit analysis (CBA) is indispensable for making good decisions on what transport projects to fund. It essentially aims to figure out which projects offer the best value for money. However, the practical relevance of CBA does not always live up to its appeal in principle. One problem is that there is sometimes disagreement over what to include in CBA, both on the cost side and the benefits side of the analysis. As a result, value for money is not always fully transparent. More politically, value for money is only a partial criterion for decision-making, leading to disagreement about the relative importance of the results from CBA compared to other inputs to the decision-making process.
This report examines the extent to which these shortcomings can be addressed. In terms of what to include in CBA, discussion focuses on equity and distributional impacts, productivity effects, agglomeration benefits and external costs. The focus then turns to how best to present guidance on project selection to decision makers. The report includes papers on the way CBA is used in three countries – France, Mexico and the United Kingdom – and how it is evolving in response to changing policy priorities.
This report on Estonia is the seventh country study published in a series of reports looking into how policies connect people with jobs. It discusses the set-up and performance of active labour market policies (ALMPs) in Estonia. In particular, the report analyses the institutional and regulatory framework of ALMP provision in Estonia, assesses the need for ALMPs in the Estonian population and evaluates whether ALMPs reach the people they are targeted to. For that purpose, the report relies on the analysis of a rich set of linked administrative data which allow to identify the labour market obstacles faced by people furthest from the labour market, and identify gaps and overlaps in the ALMPs and related support provided to them.
The COVID-19 crisis has reiterated the importance of adult learning and career guidance services as many adults have lost their jobs and now require upskilling and reskilling opportunities in order to keep pace with the rapidly evolving world of work. Yet, in order to achieve its positive gains, adult training needs to be of high quality and ensure successful learning experiences for all participants. This report therefore aims at supporting public authorities to enhance quality in the field of non-formal adult learning. It provides an overview of quality assurance systems across Europe, highlighting their implementation features, governance structures and success factors. Based on this analysis, the report develops a Quality Assurance in Adult Learning Decision Tree to support the decision-making process of governments that are planning reforms of their quality assurance systems.
This report examines the current conditions of walking and cycling in cities. It reviews the literature on the potential benefits of active mobility, highlighting the importance of moving away from car-centric development. It also explores how cities developed into car-centric environments, with a particular focus on moto-normative assumptions. The report offers recommendations for re-centring mobility spaces on people to improve the quality, enjoyment, utility and safety of active mobility.
The gap between rich and poor keeps widening. Growth, if any, has disproportionally benefited higher income groups while lower income households have been left behind. This long-run increase in income inequality not only raises social and political concerns, but also economic ones. It tends to drag down GDP growth, due to the rising distance of the lower 40% from the rest of society. Lower income people have been prevented from realising their human capital potential, which is bad for the economy as a whole. This book highlights the key areas where inequalities are created and where new policies are required, including: the consequences of current consolidation policies; structural labour market changes with rising non-standard work and job polarization; persisting gender gaps; the challenge of high wealth concentration, and the role for redistribution policies.
Belgium has a high level of productivity. However, growth of productivity has declined quite strongly over the past two decades, and more so than in other advanced economies. This is a worrying development, as fewer productivity gains mean less wage growth and a slowdown in improvements to pensions, health care and well-being. This In-Depth Productivity Review of Belgium assesses in detail the drivers of productivity and recommends a 7-Point Action Plan to reignite productivity growth in Belgium. Reviving productivity growth requires action in many areas cutting across governments and ministerial competences. Measures are needed to instil more dynamism in Belgium’s economy, both among businesses and in the labour market, and to make the public finances more growth-oriented. In addition to recommending detailed policy measures to revive productivity growth, the Review contains three analytical chapters that lay out the evidence base: Chapter 1 on economy-wide and sectoral trends in productivity; Chapter 2 on the role of firms for productivity, with a focus on the dispersion of performance among businesses; and Chapter 3 on the worker dimension of productivity, with a focus on the role of wage bargaining and skills.