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This study assesses the use of economic instruments for water resources management in Georgia and considers options for reform following the 2014 signature of an Association Agreement with the EU committing to alignment with the EU’s Water Framework Directive. This includes the systematic use of economic instruments, including water pricing, to recover the cost of water services provided to households, industry and farmers, among other measures.

Three main economic instruments are recommended in this study: 1) the introduction of a licensing regime and charges for both surface water and groundwater abstraction, 2) the restoration of a licencing and charging regime for all forms of water pollution, and 3) more rigorous enforcement of these measures, including more active monitoring and higher fines for offenders. Implementing these measures will be greatly facilitated by the enactment of the new Water Law now being examined by the government of Georgia.

Corruption has a devastating impact on developing and transition countries, with estimates of $20 billion to $40 billion per year stolen by public officials, a figure equivalent to 20 to 40 percent of official development assistance flows. The return of the proceeds of corruption— asset recovery—can have a significant development impact. Returns can be used directly for development purposes, such as improvements in the health and education sectors and reintegration of displaced persons, with additional benefits of improved international co-operation and enhanced capacity of law enforcement and financial management officials. Development agencies and those committed to development effectiveness have a role in the asset recovery process. They have made international commitments to fight corruption and recover the proceeds of corruption in the Third High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness: Accra Agenda for Actions, held in Accra, Ghana, in 2008, and in the Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness: Partnership for Effective Development, held in Busan, Republic of Korea, in 2011. Despite these efforts, there has been difficulty in translating these commitments into concrete action. This StAR-OECD publication reports on how OECD countries are performing on asset recovery.

Drawing on data collected between 2006 and 2012, the report provides recommendations and good practices, and suggests specific actions for development agencies. Few and Far is primarily intended to support the anti-corruption and asset recovery efforts of developed and developing jurisdictions, with a particular focus on actions for development agencies. In addition, civil society organisations engaged in governance and development issues may wish to use these findings and recommendations in their reports and advocacy efforts.

Public procurement – the purchase of goods and services by governments and state-owned enterprises – accounts for about 15 per cent of GDP in OECD countries and is highly exposed to corruption. Both public and private actors in the procurement process may be tempted to divert goods and services or public funds for their personal use.

To identify “weak links” in the public procurement process where the risk of corruption is high, to explore the best ways of improving transparency and accountability and to identify effective actions to prevent, detect and sanction corruption in this field, the OECD organised a Global Forum on Governance event on “Fighting Corruption and Promoting Integrity in Public Procurement”, hosted by the French Ministry of Economy, Finance and Industry in Paris in November 2004.  

This publication captures the main points of the Global Forum discussions and presents expert analysis of the main issues and case studies from the varied experiences of countries and specialised bodies, mainly in Europe, Asia and Latin America, that contributed to the event.

This book presents the outcomes of a review of legal and institutional frameworks for fighting corruption in Armenia, which was carried out in the framework of the Anti-Corruption Network for Transition Economies based at the OECD. The review examined national anti-corruption policy and institutions currently in place in Armenia, national anti-corruption legislation, and preventive measures to ensure the integrity of civil service and effective financial control. This publication contains the recommendations as well as the full text of the self-assessment report provided by the government of Armenia.

This report is a review of Kazakhstan’s legal and institutional framework for fighting corruption, in accordance with the framework provided by the Anti-Corruption Network for Transition Economies, based at the OECD. The review examines: (1) national anti-corruption policy and institutions currently in place in Kazakhstan; (2) national anti-corruption legislation and preventive measures to ensure integrity of civil service; and (3) effective financial control.

The review process is based on the OECD practice of mutual analysis and policy formulation. The main input for the review was the self-assessment report prepared by the government of Kazakhstan. An international group of peers then provided an expert assessment and draft recommendations. Finally, a review meeting (attended by national governments, international organisations, civil and business associations) discussed the report and its expert assessment, and endorsed the recommendations for Kazakhstan.

This publication contains all the recommendations, as well as the full text of the self-assessment report provided by the government of Kazakhstan. Thus, it provides an important guide for the country as it develops its anti-corruption actions, and it will serve as a useful reference for other countries reforming their anti-corruption policies, legislation and institutions.

While these recommendations are not legally binding, they represent Kazakhstan’s commitment to fighting corruption. Implementation of these recommendations will also help the country meet its legally binding obligations under the United Nation’s Convention on Corruption and the Council of Europe’s Criminal Law Convention on Corruption. The results of this review will also be used to regularly monitor Kazakhstan’s progress in implementing the recommendations.

Hard-core cartels are the most egregious violations of competition law. What are the most appropriate tools to fight them? 

In this book, the OECD identifies an increasingly successful  "carrot-and-stick"  approach –  applying stiffer punishment for cartel operators and enhancing programmes aimed at rewarding cartel members who decide to defect and co-operate with the authorities.  This book contributes to the existing knowledge about the extent of cartels' overcharges and other harm  to businesses and consumers worldwide, and sheds light on new and effective "leniency programmes", as well as on optimal sanctions in cartel cases.

First published in 2017, Fighting Tax Crime - The Ten Global Principles is the first comprehensive guide to fighting tax crimes. It sets out ten essential principles covering the legal, institutional, administrative, and operational aspects necessary for developing an efficient and effective system for identifying, investigating and prosecuting tax crimes, while respecting the rights of accused taxpayers.

This second edition addresses new challenges, such as tackling professionals who enable tax and white-collar crimes, and fostering international co-operation in the recovery of assets. Drawing on the experiences of jurisdictions in all continents, the report also highlights successful cases relating to the misuse of virtual assets, complex investigations involving joint task forces, and the use of new technology tools to fight tax crimes and other financial crimes.

The Ten Global Principles are an essential element of the OECD’s Oslo Dialogue, a whole-of-government approach for fighting tax crimes and illicit financial flows.

Alongside the policy document, the second edition is joined by 33 country chapters, detailing jurisdictions’ domestic tax crime enforcement frameworks as well as the progress made in implementing the Ten Global Principles. These chapters are available separately online.

Dramatic events, such as the earthquake that struck China’s Sichuan Province in 2008 and the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina in the United States in 2005, have brought the financial management of catastrophic risks once again to the forefront of the public policy agenda globally. To address these issues and develop sound policies, the OECD has established an International Network on the Financial Management of Large-Scale Catastrophes. This publication supports the ongoing activities of the Network.

This book contains three reports focusing on different institutional approaches to the financial management of large-scale catastrophes in selected OECD and non-OECD countries, the role of risk mitigation and insurance in reducing the impact of natural disasters, and the importance of strategic leadership in the management of non-conventional crises.

The recent debate on the role of money in politics has shed the light on the challenges of political finance regulations. What are the risks associated with the funding of political parties and election campaigns? Why are existing regulatory models still insufficient to tackle those risks? What are the links between money in politics and broader frameworks for integrity in the public sector? This report addresses these three questions and provides a Framework on Financing Democracy, designed to shape the global debate and provide policy options as well as a mapping of risks. It also features country case studies of Canada, Chile, Estonia, France, Korea, Mexico, United Kingdom, Brazil and India, providing in-depth analysis of their political finance mechanisms and challenges in different institutional settings.