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The chemicals industry - including industrial chemicals, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, food and feed additives and cosmetics - is one of the world’s largest industrial sectors. Many chemical products are traded internationally. Varying national requirements can mean duplication of efforts and significant costs for the chemicals industry, as well as posing barriers to trade.  By agreeing on test methods and data quality and sharing the workload of chemical safety testing and assessments, countries together achieve environmentally sustainable and cost-effective results.

For non-clinical health and safety testing, for example, the results of such studies carried out on a chemical product in one OECD country must be accepted by the others as long as it was carried out in accordance with the OECD Test Guidelines and Principles of Good Laboratory Practice. This saves the chemicals industry the expense of duplicative testing for products that are marketed in more than one country.

This report analyses the rigorous and comprehensive system for assessing and managing chemicals that helps governments and industry save about EUR 150 million each year, through “work sharing” facilitated by the OECD.

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.

As the hubs of economic activity, cities drive the vast majority of the world’s energy use and are major contributors to global greenhouse gas emissions. Because they are home to major infrastructure and highly concentrated populations, cities are also vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, such as rising sea levels, warmer temperatures and fiercer storms. At the same time, better urban planning and policies can reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions and improve the resilience of urban infrastructure to climate change, thus shaping future trends.  

This book shows how city and metropolitan regional governments working in tandem with national governments can change the way we think about responding to climate change. The chapters analyse: trends in urbanisation, economic growth, energy use and climate change; the economic benefits of climate action; the role of urban policies in reducing energy demand, improving resilience to climate change and complementing global climate policies; frameworks for multilevel governance of climate change including engagement with relevant stakeholders; and the contribution of cities to “green growth”, including the “greening” of fiscal policies, innovation and jobs. The book also explores policy tools and best practices from both OECD and some non-member countries.  

Cities and Climate Change reveals the importance of addressing climate change across all levels of government. Local involvement through “climate-conscious” urban planning and management can help achieve national climate goals and minimise tradeoffs between environmental and economic priorities at local levels. The book will be relevant to policy makers, researchers, and others with an interest in learning more about urbanisation and climate change policy. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

This publication examines the role of corporate governance arrangements in providing the right incentives to contribute to the value creation process within the private enterprises and the implications of the differences in ownership structures on corporate governance practices and frameworks. It also addresses these global changes from emerging markets perspective and the distinguishing features of these economies that shape their capital markets, corporate structures and corporate governance landscape.

This publication is an important reminder that all those corporate governance rules, regulations and practices that we discuss are not a goal in themselves. They are supposed to be means to a greater end. Be it minority rights, mandatory bids, or independent directors, the rules and regulations that we put in place should serve a purpose. And it is against this purpose and these objectives that the quality of any corporate governance system should be evaluated. So, we need to find a benchmark against which we can assess new regulations and evaluate existing ones.

Gender gaps are pervasive in all walks of economic life and imply large losses in terms of foregone productivity and living standards to the individuals concerned and the economy. This new OECD report focuses on how best to close these gender gaps under four broad headings: 1) Gender equality, social norms and public policies; and gender equality in 2) education; 3) employment and 4) entrepreneurship.

Key policy messages are as follows:
-Greater gender equality in educational attainment has a strong positive effect on economic growth;
-Stereotyping needs to be addressed in educational choices at school from a young age. For example, adapt teaching strategies and material to increase engagement of boys in reading and of girls in maths and science; encourage more girls to follow science, engineering and maths courses in higher education and seek employment in these fields;
-Good and affordable childcare is a key factor for better gender equality in employment. But change also has to happen at home as the bulk of housework and caring is left to women in many countries. Policy can support such change, for example, through parental leave policies that explicitly include fathers.
-Support policies for women-owned enterprises need to target all existing firms, not just start-ups and small enterprises. Equal access to finance for male and female entrepreneurs needs to be assured.