Browse by: "2011"

Now more than ever, administrative simplification is a priority in countries seeking to improve public governance and regulatory quality in order to boost competition and growth. To date, Poland has adopted a complex administrative simplification programme, based on methods successfully used in other OECD countries. It has two main streams: one focused on simplifying licences and permits, the other on measuring and reducing regulatory burdens. This report reviews the programme with the aim of helping Poland to make it and its implementation more efficient. 

The report shows that although many important elements of regulatory policy are now formally in place in Poland, in practice, there is still an implementation gap. The OECD recommends that Poland re-launches its programme by:  

·         Setting new, realistic targets and timelines

·         Developing action plans for individual ministries

·         Creating efficient co-ordination structures and reporting mechanisms

·         Improving continuous stakeholders involvement 

Poland should also strengthen its regulatory impact assessment system by improving quality control, strengthening capacities, and possibilities for public control. Consultations throughout the whole process of making legislation should also be improved.

Administrative simplification in Viet Nam has reached a defining moment. In 2007, the government launched  “Project 30”, the goal of which was to reduce administrative procedures by 30% as part of ambitious reforms to modernise the public service and simplify the regulatory environment for businesses. These reforms support the development of infrastructure, increased productivity, greater foreign direct investment and a high rate of growth. Administrative simplification efforts, once fully implemented, will enhance regulatory quality and stimulate competitiveness and equitable growth. It was within this context that Viet Nam invited OECD to evaluate achievements so far and suggest future directions, including options for a ten-year programme for regulatory reform grounded in international best practice.  

This report details Project 30 and related initiatives. Using international comparisons and incorporating experience from similar reforms in other countries, it explores how Viet Nam can rapidly bring about the full potential of Project 30 and introduce a complete range of regulatory reform instruments in the near future. The lessons learnt from the management of a major administrative simplification initiative in Viet Nam will be useful to other countries seeking to improve their regulatory framework and to reduce administrative burdens, especially in the developing world and in transition countries. 

This report is published in English; a French translation of the executive summary has been included in this volume.

This publication provides comprehensive and consistent information on African central government debt statistics for the period 2003-2009. Detailed quantitative information on central government debt instruments is provided for 17 countries to meet the requirements of debt managers, other financial policy makers, and market analysts. Country policy notes provide background information on debt issuance as well as on the institutional and regulatory framework governing debt management policy.

Countries covered: Angola, Cameroon, Gabon, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda and Zambia.

Many countries around the world have introduced systems of asset declarations for public officials in order to prevent corruption. These systems vary greatly from country to country. The impact of such systems on the actual level of corruption is not well known.

This study provides a systematic analysis of the existing practice in the area of asset declarations in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and in some OECD member states in Western Europe and North America. It examines the key elements of asset declaration systems, such as policy objectives, legal frameworks and the institutional arrangements; the categories of public officials who are required to submit declarations, and types of required information; procedures for verifying declared information, sanctions for violations, and public disclosure. The study also discusses the cost-effectiveness and overall usefulness of declaration systems. It includes four case studies covering Lithuania, Romania, Spain and Ukraine, and many additional country examples and references.

The study presents policy recommendations on the key elements of asset declaration systems. These recommendations will be useful for national governments and international organisations engaged in development, reform and assessment of asset declarations systems on a country level.

Attractiveness for investment in innovation is high on the policy agenda in many countries as innovation is a key factor of growth and competitiveness in OECD countries. Virtually all governments are keen to attract international investment by multinational enterprises (MNEs) as a means to promote growth and employment, create new jobs and bring in new technologies.

While all countries and regions have some policy measures in place that are aimed at increasing their attractiveness for innovation, it is less clear if these policies are effective.

This report analyses the current trends in international investment in innovation and the attractiveness policies already implemented. These are often based on the more traditional instruments for attracting international investment. The book also explores in more detail the role of investment incentives that governments tend to give to international investors: their rationale, their impact and their usefulness.

The evidence presented in this report raises clear policy issues and questions existing policies. A number of policy principles are formulated to guide policy makers.

This publication examines how effectively boards manage to align executive and board remuneration with the longer-term interests of their companies. This is a major and ongoing issue in many companies and one of the key failures highlighted by the financial crisis. Aligning incentives seems to be far more problematic in companies and jurisdictions with a dispersed shareholding structure since, where dominant or controlling shareholders exist, they seem to act as a moderating force on remuneration outcomes.  
The reader will learn about the effectiveness of boards in fulfilling their obligation to align executive and board remuneration with the longer term interests of their companies. 

This Review of Corporate Governance in Estonia describes the corporate governance setting including the structure and ownership concentration of listed companies and the structure and operation of the state-owned sector. The Review then examines the legal and regulatory framework and company practices to assess the degree to which the recommendations of the OECD Principles of Corporate Governance and the OECD Guidelines on Corporate Governance of State-Owned Enterprises have been implemented.

The Review of Corporate Governance in Israel was prepared as part of the process of Israel’s accession to OECD Membership. The report describes the corporate governance setting including the structure and ownership concentration of listed companies and the structure and operation of the state-owned sector. The Review then examines the legal and regulatory framework and company practices to assess the degree to which the recommendations of the OECD Principles of Corporate Governance and the OECD Guidelines on Corporate Governance of State-Owned Enterprises have been implemented.

This Review of Corporate Governance in Slovenia describes the corporate governance setting including the structure and ownership concentration of listed companies and the structure and operation of the state-owned sector. The Review then examines the legal and regulatory framework and company practices to assess the degree to which the recommendations of the OECD Principles of Corporate Governance and the OECD Guidelines on Corporate Governance of State-Owned Enterprises have been implemented.

This report looks at the institutional framework of corporate governance in China through the prism of the OECD Principles of Corporate Governance and is a product of the ongoing OECD-China Policy Dialogue on Corporate Governance. By assessing a broad range of laws, regulations and codes, it provides a valuable reference for understanding how much has been achieved in Chinese corporate governance and the main ambitions of future reform efforts.

The report shows that corporate governance has improved significantly since the Chinese stock market was created in 1990, with important achievements in establishing and developing the legal and regulatory framework. The OECD-China Self-Assessment represents a thorough review of all laws, regulations and codes that relate to every principle recommended by the OECD Principles of Corporate Governance. It documents the advances in the Chinese Corporate Governance framework. Building on this report, bilateral co-operation between China and the OECD will continue to enhance the understanding of China’s corporate governance system and how it impacts on company and investor behaviour.

In 2005, OECD published a stocktaking of the corporate governance framework in the Organisation’s member countries. This publication was the basis on which the OECD Guidelines on Corporate Governance of State-Owned Enterprises (the “SOE Guidelines”) was developed. It has been widely quoted in academic literature, in official documents and by practitioners. However, the SOE landscape in OECD countries has changed significantly since 2005 and four new countries have become members of the Organisation. This publication provides an update of changes since 2005, organised according to the main sections of the SOE Guidelines: the legal and regulatory framework for SOEs, the state acting as an owner, equitable treatment of shareholders, relations with stakeholders, transparency and disclosure, and the responsibilities of the boards of SOEs.

Demand-side innovation policies have been receiving increasing interest from a number of OECD countries in recent years in the context of slow growth and lagging productivity performance. Pressures on fiscal budgets in the aftermath of the financial crisis have also motivated governments to seek ways to boost innovation without necessarily engaging in new programme spending, primarily to meet social demands in areas such as health, energy or the environment.

This book examines dynamics between demand and innovation and provides insights into the rationale and scope for public policies to foster demand for innovation. It shows the potential - but also the limits - of using public procurement, regulations or standards to stimulate public and private demand for innovation, including among SMEs. Drawing on country experience and case studies, this report illustrates good practices for designing, implementing and evaluating demand-side innovation policies.

These OECD country reviews examine governance and public management issues from a comprehensive perspective, helping 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.    

Since the restoration of independence in 1991, Estonia has met the challenge of establishing a fully functional, stable, and modern state.  This review looks at how, building on its significant accomplishments to date, the Estonian public administration can work together as a single government to improve and sustain service delivery to citizens and to meet new challenges on the horizon. 

Recent global shocks, such as the 2008 financial crisis, have driven policy makers and industry strategists to re-examine how to prepare for and respond to events that can begin locally and propagate around the world with devastating effects on society and the economy. This report considers how the growing interconnectedness in the global economy could create the conditions and vectors for rapid and widespread disruptions. It looks at examples of hazards and threats that emerge from the financial world, cyberspace, biological systems and even the solar system, to reflect on what strategic capacities are called for to improve assessment, mapping, modelling, response  and resilience to such large scale risks.