Browse by: "2010"

Finland’s traditional Nordic model is under pressure: A rapidly ageing society, the global economic crisis and growing societal disillusionment require the public administration to be strategically agile in order to maintain fiscal sustainability and to respond to a complex and rapidly changing environment. 

The government’s capacity to act in these difficult times will depend on the public administration’s ability to work together – across all of the public administration at the state and local level, and with society as a whole –  in order to sustain success and maintain its global position in the future.   

This report is the second in a series of OECD country reviews that look at governance and public management issues from a comprehensive perspective.  These reviews help countries to identify how reforms can better reinforce each other in support of overall government objectives.  They also examine reform strategies that have worked in other countries and provide advice as to which reforms can be appropriately adapted to a given country.

The movement of personnel between employment in the public and private sectors, referred to as the “revolving door” phenomenon, raises particular attention in the context of the response of governments to the financial and economic crisis. 

This OECD survey of 30 member countries shows that the vast majority of countries have established basic standards for preventing post-public employment conflict of interest. But few have tailored these standards to address risk areas and professions such as regulators or public procurement officials. Enforcing standards and imposing suitable sanctions remains a challenge for many countries.

The principles presented in this volume serve as a point of reference for policy makers and managers to review and modernise post-public employment policies. It is part of the pathfinding efforts of the OECD to promote public sector integrity for cleaner, fairer and stronger economies.

The markets for goods and services have undergone significant changes over the past 20 years. Regulatory reform, global markets, new technologies and growth in the role of services in economic activity have driven the changes which, in many instances, have provided significant benefits to consumers. Relatively little attention has been paid to the challenges these developments have posed for consumers. More choice and more complexity in many markets have made it increasingly difficult for them to compare and assess the value of products and services. The challenges for consumers have raised similar challenges for the government authorities responsible for protecting them from unfair commercial practices and fraud.

This book examines how markets have evolved and provides insights for improved consumer policy making. It explores, for the first time, how what we have learned through the study of behavioural economics is changing the way policy makers are addressing problems.

The MENA-OECD Governance Programme supports public sector reform in the Middle East and North African (MENA) region. Since its inception in 2003, the programme has helped the region to improve institutions for good governance through continuous policy review and reform.

The need to accelerate economic growth has been the primary impetus, but MENA governments are increasingly implementing reform to improve public sector performance and to meet citizens’ needs for higher quality education and health care, a safer and cleaner environment, and transparent and responsive government. Going forward, reforms will also be driven by equity and sustainability concerns.

This report offers a perspective on the progress made in public management in the MENA region since 2005. It reviews achievements in implementing public governance reform in nine areas: human resource management, public finance, integrity, regulation and law drafting, administrative simplification, e-government, public-private partnerships, gender, and water resource management. The report presents case studies on key policy reforms and outlines common characteristics across the region as well as the specific conditions and circumstances in MENA countries and economies.

This Review of Venice, Italy, offers a comprehensive assessment of the city-region’s economy and the extent to which its land use, labour market and environmental policies embrace a metropolitan vision. A new understanding of the provinces of Padua, Treviso and Venice as an interconnected city-region of 2.6 million people guides this study. Venice ranks as among the most dynamic and productive city-regions in the OECD, with high employment levels and growth rates. Though it has thrived on a model of small firms and industrial clusters, it is undergoing a deep economic transformation. Venice confronts growing environmental challenges as a result of rising traffic congestion and costly infrastructure pressures, exacerbated by sprawl. Demographics are also changing, due to ageing inhabitants, immigrant settlement and the rapid depopulation of the historic city of Venice.  

This report offers a comparative analysis of these issues, utilising the OECD’s metropolitan database to benchmark productivity and growth. It draws on regional economics, urban planning, transportation studies and hydrology to throw light on the changes within the city-region. In light of planned inter-city rail extensions, the Review calls for programmes to increase economic synergies between Venice and its neighbours. It evaluates key tools for promoting economic growth and metropolitan governance and proposes enhanced co-ordination of land use policies, additional business development services for small and medium-sized businesses, and the enlargement of university-linked innovation. Given frequent flooding, the report appraises the quality of metropolitan water governance and Venice’s potential to become a powerful reference for climate change adaptation.

Shifting Wealth is the first edition of Perspectives on Global Development, a new publication from the OECD Development Centre.

Shifting Wealth examines the changing dynamics of the global economy over the last 20 years, and in particular the impact of the economic rise of large developing countries, such as China and India, on the poor. It details new patterns in assets and flows within the global economy and highlights the strengthening of “South-South” links – the increasing interactions between developing countries through trade, aid and foreign direct investment.

What do these changes imply for development and development policy? The report explores potential policy responses at both national and international levels. Nationally, developing countries' need to re-position their development strategies to capitalise on the increasing potential of South-South co-operation and to fully benefit from new macroeconomic drivers. Internationally, the global governance architecture needs to adjust to better reflect current economic weights.

“OECD Perspectives on Global Development is a very welcome new publication that contributes to investigating the permanent structural breaks with the past now occurring in the global economy. It documents the need to address new challenges in development finance and social development.” -- Justin Yifu Lin, Senior Vice President and Chief Economist, The World Bank

"Perspectives on Global Development is a landmark report about the biggest economic story of our era. It describes and analyses the new economic world we live in, where countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America provide the dynamism for future growth. It shows how this shift in the economic centre of gravity is cause for optimism, rather than consternation."  --Alan Hirsch, Deputy Director General: Policy, South African Presidency

"Based on the irrefutable fact that some developing economies have grown very rapidly in recent decades, some of this study’s analytical and policy conclusions will undoubtedly contribute to important debates as the world strives to draw appropriate lessons from the varied experiences of the last two decades, and especially the last two years." --Jomo Kwame Sundaram, UN Assistant Secretary General for Economic Development

"In this volume, the OECD Development Centre lays bare a new era of economic development. But in doing so, it poses the big questions of sustainability – namely, what development means for the social, political, and economic fabric of an increasingly globalised world." --Stephen S. Roach, Chairman‪, Morgan Stanley Asia

This publication reviews measures taken to support investment policy and governance reforms in Iraq.  It finds that Iraqi parliamentary elections, held without major security incidents in March 2010, are the latest in a series of indicators suggesting that the country may be achieving greater stability in governance and security - a key prerequisite for foreign and domestic investment, growth and job creation. Furthermore, the business environment is gradually improving as a result of an ongoing institutional capacity building process supported by the international community.

The MENA-OECD Initiative on Governance and Investment for Development is part of this effort, playing a key role in building the capacity of the National Investment Commission and its one-stop shop for investment licensing. The Initiative has helped raise awareness on corruption and bribery issues, provided training for the negotiators of international agreements, and advised on implementing regulations for the landmark Investment Law of 2006. This publication examines these issues, and MENA-OECD involvement in advancing them, for the period 2007-2008.

L'importance d'une gouvernance réglementaire efficace n'a jamais été aussi claire qu'elle ne l'est aujourd'hui, dans le sillage de la pire crise économique depuis la Grande Dépression. Cependant, comment « mieux légiférer » permettra-t-il d’améliorer les perspectives pour une plus forte performance économique et une meilleure qualité de vie, pour promouvoir une croissance pérenne et renforcer la résilience des pays ? Qu'est-ce qu’une réglementation efficace ? Quelle doit être la forme et la direction de la politique de gouvernance réglementaire au cours de la prochaine décennie ? Pour répondre à ces questions, l'OCDE a lancé, en partenariat avec la Commission européenne, un projet pour examiner l’évolution de la gouvernance réglementaire dans 15 pays de l'OCDE, dont la France.

Chaque rapport fait l’analyse des questions clés qui sont nécessaires pour dégager le cadre de référence futur pour une bonne gestion de la politique et des réformes de réglementation. Les questions examinées incluent la stratégie et les politiques d’amélioration de la gouvernance réglementaire, les capacités institutionnelles pour une gouvernance réglementaire, la transparence des réglementations et la mise en place d’une consultation réelle de l’opinion publique, la gestion et rationalisation des réglementations existantes, la conformité, la mise en application et les voies de recours, les relations entre les États membres et l’Union européenne, les relations entre l’administration centrale et les administrations infranationales.

Les pays participants sont : l’Allemagne, l’Autriche, la Belgique, le Danemark, l’Espagne, la Finlande, la France, la Grèce, l’Irlande, l’Italie, le Luxembourg, les Pays-Bas, le Portugal, le Royaume-Uni et la Suède.

OECD's review of rural policy in Quebec.  It finds that in rural Québec, both population and personal income are growing, on average, and the province’s economic base continues to diversify. Land occupancy is more homogenous than in the rest of Canada, due to the presence of denser networks of small and medium-sized communities. However, mirroring the situation at the national level, the province displays large regional disparities. The sustainability of some rural communities, especially if remote and resource-based, is challenged by demographic and economic decline. In this context, Québec has developed one of the most advanced rural policy approaches in the OECD, closely in line with the framework suggested in the OECD’s New Rural Paradigm. The province’s rural policy does not have a sectoral focus, and aims at community empowerment and land occupancy.  

To maximize returns on its rural policy investments, Québec needs to integrate social development more strongly with economic and entrepreneurial development, and further strengthen the supra-local level of government as the centre for rural and territorial development strategies. This should be combined with stabilisation measures in lagging areas, through the accumulation of human capital and enhanced access to land in predominantly rural territories. To address environmental challenges, natural resources should be protected both in the outskirts of metropolitan zones and in remote areas.  

Public administration has entered a new age. In the 1980s, “less” government was the prevailing idea; in the 1990s and early 21^st century, “New Public Management” was the dominant theme. Today, public administration is moving in new directions. Reforms are focusing on the quality of services for citizens and businesses and on the efficiency of administration (the “back office” of government). The OECD is studying these new trends in a multi-annual, cross-country project called “Value for Money in Government”.

This is the first report in a new OECD series on the topic. The book examines four themes in nine OECD countries: the development of shared service centres, the steering and control of agencies, automatic productivity cuts, and spending review procedures. In addition, it contains a quantitative analysis of the size of employment in central government. The countries studied are Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden and the United Kingdom. The book pays particular attention to the case of the Netherlands, the country that first proposed an OECD study on value for money in government.

Dans le Québec rural, en moyenne, la population augmente, le revenu des ménages progresse et le tissu économique continue de se diversifier. L’occupation du territoire y est plus homogène que dans le reste du Canada, compte tenu des réseaux plus denses de petites et moyennes collectivités. Toutefois, à l’image de la situation nationale, la province affiche d’importantes disparités régionales, et la viabilité de certaines localités rurales, surtout si elles sont difficiles d’accès et tributaires des ressources naturelles, est menacée par le déclin démographique et économique. Aussi le Québec a-t-il élaboré une approche figurant parmi les plus abouties à l’échelle de l’OCDE, qui cadre avec le nouveau paradigme rural (NPR). Sans se limiter à des préoccupations sectorielles, la politique rurale provinciale vise l’autonomisation des collectivités et l’occupation du territoire. 

Pour optimiser la rentabilité de ses investissements en matière de politique rurale, le Québec doit intégrer plus résolument le développement social avec le développement économique et entrepreneurial, tout en redoublant d’efforts pour mettre l’échelon supralocal au coeur des stratégies de développement rural et territorial. Des mesures de stabilisation sont aussi à prévoir dans les zones en retard, moyennant l’accumulation de capital humain et un meilleur accès aux terres dans les territoires essentiellement ruraux. Face aux défis environnementaux, il importe de protéger les aménités naturelles dans les espaces périmétropolitains comme dans les zones reculées. 

Dans l’ensemble, le cas du Québec peut constituer un exemple pour les décideurs confrontés à des problèmes tels que l’éloignement, la dépendance des collectivités à l’égard des ressources naturelles et le développement des capacités dans les zones rurales. Ce cas intéressera également les universitaires et les étudiants.

This review of regional innovation assesses how to improve Catalonia's current strategy and actions in order to boost its innovation system through both its own programmes and those of Spain and the European Union.

It finds that with over seven million inhabitants and a GDP of around EUR 204 billion, Catalonia is not only an important region within Spain, but within the OECD as well. Indeed, its economic output is similar to countries like Portugal and Norway. The region experienced massive population growth over the past decade, due to immigration, which in part drove GDP growth. However, Catalonia’s productivity is slipping, relative to other OECD regions, necessitating the transition to a productivity-driven growth model through a stronger regional innovation system. The region has successfully strengthened its research base, with investments in R&D having increased four-fold over the past decade. Catalonia is now mobilising actors across the innovation system in regional centres, such as Barcelona, to improve productivity and address social challenges.  

L’industrie chimique, qui comprend les produits chimiques industriels, les produits pharmaceutiques, les pesticides, les additifs alimentaires et les cosmétiques, est l’un des plus grands secteurs industriels mondiaux. Nombre de produits chimiques font l’objet d’échanges internationaux. Des exigences différentes selon les pays peuvent être à l’origine d’efforts redondants et de coûts significatifs pour l’industrie chimique, et peuvent  créer des obstacles aux échanges. En convenant de méthodes d’essais et de la qualité à atteindre en matière de données et en partageant la charge de travail que représentent les essais et évaluations de sécurité des produits chimiques, les pays obtiennent ensemble des résultats écologiquement durables et économiquement efficaces. 

Pour les essais d’hygiène et de sécurité non cliniques, par exemple, les résultats des études réalisées sur un produit chimique dans un pays de l’OCDE doivent être acceptés par les autres, du moment qu’elles ont été menées conformément aux Lignes directrices de l’OCDE pour les essais et aux Principes de l’OCDE relatifs aux bonnes pratiques de laboratoire. L’industrie chimique peut ainsi éviter les dépenses occasionnées par la duplication des essais pour des produits commercialisés dans plusieurs pays.

Ce rapport analyse le système rigoureux et complet d’évaluation et de gestion des produits chimiques, qui aide les pouvoirs publics et les industriels à économiser près de 150 millions EUR par an grâce à un « partage de la charge de travail » auquel l’OCDE apporte son concours.

Well-timed and targeted innovation boosts productivity, increases economic growth and helps solve societal problems. But how can governments encourage more people to innovate more of the time? And how can government itself be more innovative?

The OECD Innovation Strategy provides a set of principles for fostering innovation in people (workers and consumers), in firms and in government. It takes an in-depth look at the scope of innovation and how it is changing, as well as where and how it is occurring. The result is the formulation of far-reaching policies for innovation using recent research and data.

"a thoughtful new report on how governments can do better at spurring and measuring innovation." The Economist