Browse by: "2006"

Tables of national competitiveness give an easily comparable ranking of the winners and losers of global economic competition. But they don't explain why the “poor” countries are four times less productive than the “rich” ones or why some rich countries are twice as productive as others.  Using empirical data from over 50 countries, this book shows how even small differences in a number of factors combine to boost or block productivity. Governments need such information to set priorities. Investors need it too, and two new rankings are proposed as alternatives to a simple comparison of industrial productivity. The first, called the “investor ranking”, is based on infrastructure, human capital and total factor productivity. The second, “exporter ranking”, is for investors whose prime concern is for a production platform well-integrated into world trade. Combining the new rankings with a more traditional one produces three groups of countries, termed balanced, high potential, and vulnerable. Group membership reserves some surprises: you may be rich, but that doesn’t mean you’re not vulnerable.

This edition of OECD's periodic survey of the Turkish economy presents an overview of recent economic performance and suggests that Turkey needs to improve management of economic risks and resilience to shocks.  It discusses enhancing competitiveness and growth through regulatory simplification, which should also reduce incentives to operate in the informal economy.  It alo assesses the pension system, making quality education accessible to the whole population, and freeing the potential of agriculture.

This 2006 edition of OECD's periodic review of the Russian economy finds an economy enjoying robust growth, but requiring strengthening of the macroeconomic framework to sustain that growth.  Public administration urgently needs reform and raising innovation potential could do much to sustain rapid growth. The healthcare system suffers from fundamental imbalances and its reform could arrest the decline in health now being experienced.  This survey offers a series of recommendations for addressing these issues.

This edition of OECD's periodic survey of Portugal's economy examines key economic challenges including  putting public finances on a sustainable path, improving the performance of the education system, and creating a more dynamic business environment.  It finds that Portugal's economic performance has deteriorated markedly since 2000, and makes a series of recommendations to improve the situation.

This edition of OECD's periodic review of Poland's economy finds that growth has strengthened again in Poland, but that higher rates of investment, further structural change, and improved labour and education policies are required to sustain this growth. After analysing the key economic challenges Poland faces, this Survey assesses monetary and exchange rate policies, examines what is needed to achieve fiscal sustainability, and looks at how Poland can boost and adapt human capital through improved education. It closes with at chapter on structural adjustment covering sectoral reallocation, entrepreneurship and innovation, and labour market reform.

This 2005 OECD Economic Survey of the Dutch economy (published as the second issue in the 2006 volume) examines key economic challenges including putting public finances on a sustainable path, increasing resiliency in labour markets, strengthening product market competition, and improving the environment for innovation. As always, it assesses short-term prospects and provides a series of policy recommendations.

This 2006 OECD review of Luxembourg's economy examines the challenges Luxembourg is facing with regard to slowing economic growth, public finances, employment, education achievement and product market competition. It finds that Luxembourg has regained its footing after a slowdown at the start of the decade and that the financial servies sector, which accounts for one-third of economic activity, has renewed confidence. But there is deterioration in the fiscal position, weakening of the pension system, and growing unemployment all of which could be improved through enhanced human capital development and strengthened product market competition.

This 2006 edition of OECD's periodic survey of Japan's economy opens with an assessment of recent economic performance and the economic outlook. It then moves on to analyse key challenges faced by Japan including ending deflation an sustaining soundness in the banking sector, fiscal consolidation, income inquality and social spending, upgrading the innovation system, and improving the environment for inflow of direct investment and workers.

This 2006 edition of OECD's periodic survey of Ireland's economy examines key economic challenges and risks faced by this rapidly-growing economy. The special feature focuses on boosting growth through greater competition. Other challenges covered include improving the education system, boosting R&D, investing in public infrastructure, and boosing female labour participation. Risks examined include the housing boom and keeping public finances on track. 

This 2006 edition of OECD's periodic survey of Iceland's economy finds strong growth but large macroeconomic imbalances. After a general review of the macroeconomic situation, the survey examines in a more detailed way implementation of monetary policy, improving fiscal management, furthering financial liberalisation, and adapting the education system to a changing environment.

This 2006 edition of OECD's periodic survey of Germany's economy finds economic activity still weak and uneven, and recommends reforms in a number of areas. Special chapters cover regaining fiscal credibility and improving public efficiency; improving the education system, gaining flexibility in the labour market, and opening up competition in services and network industries.

This 2006 edition of OECD's periodic survey of the Finnish economy opens with a general assessment of recent economic performance and key economic challenges.  Among the challenges it addresses in more detail in succeeding chapters are ensuring fiscal sustainability in the face of imminent ageing, restricting early retirment to make the pension reform a success, increasing flexibility in centralised wage agreements, and using active and passive labour market measures to meet the employment target. This issue's special feature discusses reducing risks and improving policies in the housing market.

This edition of OECD's periodic survey of the Danish economy finds overall good performance but warns of overheating and a weak outlook.  It examines in more detail raising the labour supply to safeguard welfare, improving educational provision and making incentives more compatible with societal needs, and introducing more flexibility and less subsidy in housing. 

This 2006 edition of OECD's periodic review of the Czech economy finds that economic growth prospects have improved and that monetary conditions are good, but that much work is needed in public spending reform, improving the labour market, and enhancing the business environment. Special chapters examine pension reform, fiscal sustainability of state and municipal governments, modernising the education system, and boosting innovation.