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Numerosos obstáculos impiden a los países en desarrollo – y en particular a los menos adelantados – aprovechar oportunidades comerciales que podrían ayudarlos a reducir la pobreza. La iniciativa de Ayuda para el Comercio ha permitido crear conciencia de la ayuda que dichos países necesitan para superar esos obstáculos. Gracias a ello, los temas comerciales ocupan un lugar cada vez más destacado en las estrategias de desarrollo de un número creciente de países en desarrollo, y los donantes están respondiendo con un incremento de los recursos destinados a la creación de capacidad comercial en ámbitos tales como las políticas, las instituciones y las infraestructuras.

Este informe de vigilancia sobre la Ayuda para el Comercio (el segundo de este tipo) documenta los resultados obtenidos por esta iniciativa hasta la fecha. En él se examinan tendencias y novedades y se hace un análisis exhaustivo de la participación de los donantes y los países asociados. Además, se aborda la dimensión regional de la Ayuda para el Comercio y se exponen tres proyectos de infraestructura transfronterizos. Por último, se incluyen hojas informativas que ayudarán a evaluar los resultados y las repercusiones de la Ayuda para el Comercio.

Las principales conclusiones son positivas. Con todo, las perspectivas se ven afectadas por la actual crisis económica mundial. Hoy, más que nunca, la Ayuda para el Comercio es fundamental para que los proveedores de los países en desarrollo puedan fortalecer su capacidad y penetrar en los mercados mundiales. El mensaje central del informe es claro: la Ayuda para el Comercio debe seguir siendo un componente esencial de la asistencia para el desarrollo. A este respecto, se proponen en el informe varias medidas que pueden impulsar el diálogo sobre la Ayuda para el Comercio.

Improving the environmental performance of agriculture is a high priority for OECD countries. But measuring and evaluating the impact of agri-environmental policies on the environment can be challenging, as it requires linking economic and biophysical models in country-specific  contexts. 

The OECD has developed the Stylised Agri-environmental Policy Impact Model (SAPIM), which can be adapted and applied by researchers and policy makers to better understand the impact of policies on the agri-environment conditions in their countries. 

This report applies the model to representative farms in Finland, Japan, Switzerland and the United States. These countries include a wide range of objectives, policy measures and agri-environmental conditions. The results highlight that when positive or negative environmental externalities are not taken into account by farmers then the production choices by farmers will reflect private costs and benefits. Policies can potentially raise social welfare by taking account of those externalities. 

This report notes that, overall, the diversity of conditions across sectors and countries makes it difficult to generalise the impact of agri-environmental policies beyond the situations that are modeled. Nevertheless, some wider policy messages emerge. Drawing on the four case studies examined, this report recommends that; polluting activites that are not regulated should be included in policy design; the existing overall policy environment needs to be taken into account in evaluating agri-environmental policies; and environmental co-benefits and trade-offs need to be recognised.  

Green growth policies can stimulate economic growth while preventing environmental degradation, biodiversity loss and unsustainable natural resource use. The results from this publication contribute to the Green Growth Strategy being developed by the OECD as a practical policy package for governments to harness the potential of greener growth.

This year’s Latin American Economic Outlook focuses on those in the middle of the income distribution in Latin America. If these middle sectors have stable employment and reasonably robust incomes, then, arguably, they provide a solid foundation for economic progress. Moreover, following the political role often attributed to the middle classes by historians and sociologists, they might also support moderate but progressive political platforms in Latin America’s democracies. In fact, this report shows that, contrary to expectations, in Latin America this group is still economically vulnerable, few have university degrees and many work in informal employment. This is a “middle class” quite different from the group that became the engine of development in many OECD countries. In Latin America, what are the economic characteristics of these vulnerable middle sectors? How do they perceive inequality, public policies and democracy? How can public policies protect the livelihoods of these middle-sector households? These questions guide the Outlook to discuss why and how upward mobility should and can be promoted, and how safety nets can be put in place to protect the most vulnerable segments of people within those middle-income groups, as well as the poorest and most disadvantaged households in the economy at large. The report tackles policies such as social protection and education that promote upward mobility, and underscores the importance of fiscal policy as a tool to finance the required reforms and programmes that can engage the Latin American middle sectors in a renewed social contract.

“Latin America is undergoing a rapid transformation and the middle classes are one of the most powerful motors of this change. This edition of the Latin American Economic Outlook analyses the process of expansion of the region’s middle sectors through innovative statistical methods and from a refreshing perspective. The middle classes are dynamic but also vulnerable; they are not poor but they are nevertheless far from enjoying a comfortable and secure economic situation. Their future depends on their own actions, and on the economic and social policies that the region’s governments will adopt over the next decade.”
Eduardo Lora, Chief Economist, Inter-American Development Bank.

“This new report from the OECD Development Centre touches upon a theme that is not often studied but which is of vital importance for the development of our countries: middle-income groups in Latin American societies. The report’s recommendations should be used as a basis for economic policy in the region, with the objective of promoting policy actions in favour of a sector that in advanced economies has been a pillar of development and democratic harmony – in contrast to what has happened in Latin America and the Caribbean.”
Juan Temístocles Montás, Minister of Economy and Planning, Dominican Republic.

“This excellent report leads us to conclude that only with a stronger focus on rights, democracy and redistributive policies can we break the transmission of inequality and poverty from generation to generation, and advance towards the consolidation of a real middle class, a driver of development.”
Soraya Rodriguez Ramos, Secretary of State for International Cooperation, Spain.

To help experts and practitioners working to tackle the problem of armed violence, three Programming Notes build on the 2009 publication entitled Armed Violence Reduction: Enabling Development. These three notes cover:

• Armed violence in urban areas
• Youth and armed violence
• The linkages between Armed Violence Reduction and Security System Reform

This report presents a summary of the trends in Mexico’s performance in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and considers them in relation to the PISA target established by the Mexican government. Trends regarding access to education by 15-year-olds and equity as indicated by the impact of socio-economic background on students’ performance are also examined.

The report shows that the performance gains that Mexico has achieved since Mexico’s President Calderón established the PISA performance target have been significant and Mexico seems well on track to meet its 2012 target. In addition, the report reviews Mexico’s performance compared to other countries in the OECD, the G20, and to similar economies to also highlight that improvement is still needed. Based on a comparison of performance between Mexican schools, the report also shows that relatively higher performance is not dictated by socio-economic background.

The report concludes by drawing together evidence from PISA and an examination of a selection of today’s highest performing education systems in order to provide a long-term perspective for educational improvement in Mexico.

US President Obama has launched one of the world’s most ambitious education reform agendas. Under the heading “Race to the Top”, this agenda encourages US states to adopt internationally benchmarked standards and assessments that prepare students for success in college and the workplace: recruit, develop, reward, and retain effective teachers and principals; build data systems that measure student success; and inform teachers and principals how they can improve their practices and turn around their lowest-performing schools.

But what does the “top” look like internationally? How have the countries at the top managed to achieve sustained high performance or to significantly improve their performance? The OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) provides the world’s most extensive and rigorous set of international surveys assessing the knowledge and skills of secondary school students. This volume combines an analysis of PISA with a description of the policies and practices of those education systems that are close to the top or advancing rapidly, in order to offer insights for policy from their reform trajectories.

El creciente interés en los modelos de valor agregado se deriva de la mayor precisión que ofrecen estos modelos para medir el desempeño escolar. Proporcionan una base cuantitativa fundamentalmente más exacta y valiosa que las puntuaciones brutas de pruebas y estudios transversales para planear mejoras escolares, diseñar políticas educativas y poner en marcha acuerdos eficaces de rendición de cuentas escolar. Con la gran presión sobre los sistemas educativos de los países dentro y fuera de la OCDE para que mejoren su eficacia y eficiencia, cada vez se reconoce más el papel que las medidas de desempeño precisas representan en el diseño e implantación de iniciativas de políticas educativas y desarrollo escolar.

En esta publicación se identifican tres objetivos amplios de políticas que impulsan el desarrollo de modelos de valor agregado en un sistema educativo: iniciativas de mejoras escolares, la rendición de cuentas de las escuelas y de los sistemas educativos y la elección de escuela. El empleo de datos de desempeño en la toma de decisiones referente a estos objetivos de políticas depende de la precisión de las medidas de desempeño empleadas. Sin embargo, la difusión de la toma de decisiones con base en datos para promover objetivos de políticas se ha visto obstaculizada por la falta de datos de desempeño escolar precisos, esenciales para las mejoras educativas. Las mediciones de valor agregado son un avance significativo, al dar una medida más precisa del desempeño escolar en la cual basar decisiones que fomenten objetivos de políticas y eleven el desempeño escolar. Los beneficios se acumulan a partir del uso de los modelos de valor agregado para programas y políticas específicas, así como para la toma de decisiones en los ámbitos tanto escolar como del sistema educativo.

Una discusión detallada sobre los beneficios y los retos en el diseño de modelos de valor agregado, así como lineamientos sobre el diseño y puesta en marcha de sistemas de evaluación basados en ellos, se encuentran en este libro que ha sido traducido y actualizado al 2010 de su versión original en inglés.

Esta obra forma parte del Acuerdo Para Mejorar la Calidad de la Educación de las Escuelas en México, firmado por el gobierno de México y la OCDE.

Literacy for Life is the second report from the Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey. It presents additional results on the nature and magnitude of the literacy gaps faced by OECD countries and how these gaps have evolved over the medium term.

It offers new insights into the factors that influence the formation of adult skills in various settings – at home and at work – for the eleven countries participating in the first and last round of data collection between 2003 and 2008. The study offers comparative evidence on the impact of various factors on the supply of skill. The study offers a special focus on numeracy skills and problem solving skills. It explores the relationships between numeracy and key socio-demographic factors as well as labour market outcomes and earnings.

It highlights the importance of problem solving skills by defining this foundational skill and by exploring its determinants as well as its relative role in influencing important labour market outcomes.

The report offers also an analysis of performance across multiple skill domains. It investigates the skill profiles of various population groups defined in terms of the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of those who score at levels deemed to be low in one or more skill domains and explores the resulting consequences.

The report concludes by investigating the issue of skill mismatch in the labour market and its relationship to adult learning. The extent and distribution of mismatch between the day-to-day literacy related requirements of workers and the literacy skills they have obtained is an important issue that is being explored in this study.

Even in the midst of a global financial crisis, Latin American and Caribbean economies find themselves in better condition than in years past. Latin America must seize this opportunity to design and implement good public policies. The greatest of the long-term objectives of Latin American states remains development: economic growth and structural change that is rapid, sustainable and inclusive. In particular, governments must reduce inequalities in income, public-service delivery and opportunities, as well as promote the diversification of economies, often concentrated on a few primary-product exports.

Improved efficiency of public administration is crucial to address both the short-term and long-term dimensions of these challenges. The real change, however, will come if Latin American and Caribbean states carry out meaningful fiscal reforms, making them not only more efficient but also more effective. The increased effectiveness of fiscal policy holds the promise to provide resources needed to address the key challenges of economic development. Three key priority areas for investing additional resources have been highlighted by many governments in the region for their potential to raise competitiveness and social inclusion: education, infrastructure and innovation. In each of these areas, more efficient administration and more effective strategic action is needed from states.

A basic level of literacy and numeracy is essential for full participation in modern societies. While very few people in most of the advanced countries could be regarded as illiterate or innumerate, recent studies have shown that there are, in fact, significant numbers of people with poor skills, and that low levels of skills are associated with lower wages and greater chances of unemployment and disengagement from the labour market. At the same time, technological changes, particularly the increasing presence of information and communication technologies in all areas of life, have led to a growing demand for higher-level cognitive skills that involve understanding, interpreting, analysing and communicating complex information.

In this context, policy makers need the most comprehensive and up-to-date information if they want to ensure that the supply of skills in the labour force matches labour-market demand. The Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), an international assessment of adult skills managed by the OECD, will be central in providing that information. Implemented by 25 countries in Europe, the Americas and Asia, PIAAC is compiling one of the richest sources of data regarding the skills that adults use in their work, home and communities, and related information, including family background, education, employment, income, civic participation and health. Results from the data, which are being collected from August 2011 to March 2012, will be available at the end of 2013.

This report maps the development of the Programme, from determining what should be measured, to defining the meaning of PIAAC’s three core domains, “literacy”, “numeracy” and “problem solving in technology-rich environments”, to designing assessment tasks and determining how those tasks will be interpreted. It summarises the draft frameworks, developed by dedicated experts, for each of the assessment domains, and includes examples of the items and stimuli used to measure proficiency in the three domains. In essence, it provides an overview and a look at the underpinnings of PIAAC.

For decades Japan has remained at or near the top of international assessments of student learning; and in the past decade, students in Japan have become more engaged in learning. However, the government aspires to improve learning outcomes even further. Strong Performers and Successful Reformers in Education: Lessons from PISA for Japan focuses on how Japan is reforming its education system not only to produce better learning outcomes, but to equip students with the skills they need to navigate through the unpredictable labour market of the future and to participate in society as active citizens.

This is the second in a series of reports examining how education systems are handling the challenge of preparing their students for a world of interconnected populations, rapid technological change, and instantaneous availability of vast amounts of information. Like the first volume, Strong Performers and Successful Reformers in Education: Lessons from PISA for the United States, this report presents examples from other countries with consistently high-performing education systems or countries that, by redesigning policies and practices, have been able to improve their education outcomes, as measured by the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), the world’s most comprehensive and rigorous survey of students’ skills and attitudes towards learning.