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The Italian economy is innovative and rich in intellectual property (IP), with nearly every industry either producing or using IP. Italian IP-intensive industries are very well integrated in the global economy, through active participation in global value chains. At the same time, the threats of counterfeiting and piracy are growing – and Italy is vulnerable. This report measures the direct, economic effects of counterfeiting on Italian consumers, the Italian retail and manufacturing industry, and the Italian governments. It examines both the impact that the imports of fake products to Italy has on these three groups and the impact on the Italian intellectual property rights holders of the global trade in fake products that infringe their IP rights.

Recent years have witnessed a constant rise in the spread of ICT (information and communication technologies) infrastructure and a growing demand for ICT goods. The production of these goods is knowledge intensive and the industry relies extensively on intellectual property (IP) rights. This strong and growing demand for ICT goods, and their IP dependence, makes them an attractive target for counterfeiters. This study looks at the trade in counterfeit ICT goods, including the size of the trade, the main sources of fake goods, and the countries whose companies are most affected.

This report, one in a series of studies by the OECD and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), enhances understanding of the issues and challenges facing governments, businesses and society posed by the trade in fake pharmaceutical products. Illicit markets for fake pharmaceuticals are attractive for counterfeiters, given the high profit margins, low risks of detection and prosecution, weak penalties, and the ease with which consumers can be deceived into believing that the counterfeit products are genuine. Counterfeit medicines not only cause economic damage for the sector, but are also a significant threat to public health, since fake medicines are often not properly formulated and may contain dangerous ingredients. Fake pharmaceuticals include antibiotics, lifestyle treatments, pain killers, anti-malarial drugs, diabetes treatments and central nervous system medicines.

The modern structure of the UK economy is largely based on knowledge, ideas and innovation and its well integrated global value chains. These factors help boost the country’s economic growth, but at the same time they make it highly susceptible to the risk of trade in counterfeit goods. This risk negatively affects UK rights holders, the UK government, and the reputation of UK firms. This report measures the direct, economic effects of counterfeiting on consumers, retail and manufacturing industry and governments in the United Kingdom. It does so from two perspectives: the impact on these three groups of imports of fake products into the UK, and the impact of the global trade in fake products on UK intellectual property rights holders.

Counterfeit and pirated products come from many economies, with China appearing as the single largest producing market. These illegal products are frequently found in a range of industries, from luxury items (e.g. fashion apparel or deluxe watches), via intermediary products (such as machines, spare parts or chemicals) to consumer goods that have an impact on personal health and safety (such as pharmaceuticals, food and drink, medical equipment, or toys). This report assess the quantitative value, scope and trends of this illegal trade.

In Kazakhstan, over 200 public councils at national, regional and local levels provide a platform for civil society to voice its opinion on important social issues. This report analyses the legal and policy framework for stakeholder participation in Kazakhstan, and compares public councils' current practices against the requirements set out in regulations. It proposes practical recommendations to improve the legitimacy, transparency and inclusiveness of public councils in carrying out their duties. Recommendations are supported by good practices in both OECD and other countries that enable, improve and innovate stakeholder participation.

Efforts that primarily focus on incremental change in systems that are unsustainable by design are one of the main barriers to scaling up climate action. This report applies the OECD well-being lens process to the transport sector. It builds on the report Accelerating Climate Action and encourages countries to focus climate action on delivering systems that - by design - improve well-being while requiring less energy and materials, and thus producing less emissions. The report identifies three dynamics at the source of car dependency and high emissions: induced demand, urban sprawl and the erosion of active and shared transport modes. The report also provides policy recommendations to reverse such dynamics and reduce emissions while improving well-being, from radical street redesign, to spatial planning aimed at increasing proximity, and policies to mainstream shared mobility. Analysis also shows why the effectiveness and public acceptability of carbon pricing and policies incentivising vehicle electrification can significantly increase after policy reprioritisation towards systems redesign.

Controlling public spending is a priority for OECD countries. Salary policy in the public sector is therefore of particular concern. This new annual report analyses recent trends in public sector pay in OECD countries. It examines the links between public expenditure and public sector compensation costs, and presents recent developments in pay determination systems in the public sector. It provides information on the level and the components of individual remuneration for a typical employee in ten selected occupations, and identifies various mechanisms implemented in countries to make individual pay more flexible. Every year, a chapter focusing on a specific experience in the public sector pay area will be added. This report should be of particular interest to public officials responsible for defining, implementing and monitoring pay policy in the public sector and to experts in pay determination systems, employment systems and industrial relations in the public and private sectors.

Good risk communication is crucial for raising awareness among citizens and business about the risks their countries face. However, many countries have seen their risk communication tools fail in the past, leading to persistently low levels of risk awareness, especially in the absence of recent disasters. This OECD report surveys current trends in risk communication policies and practices across OECD and partner countries. It seeks to understand why risk communication tools have failed and what OECD countries can do to improve the effectiveness of their risk communication policies. Based on an OECD-wide survey, the report evaluates the degree to which countries have used  risk communication tools to not only increase risk awareness, but to inform stakeholders about potential preparedness and prevention measures they can take to boost their resilience to future risks.

This study examines the value, scope and trends of trade in counterfeit and pirated goods. First, it presents the overall scale of this trade and discusses which parts of the economy are particularly at risk. Next, it looks at the main economies of origin of fakes in global trade. Finally, it analyses recent trends in terms of changing modes of shipment and the evolution of trade flows.

Trust plays a very tangible role in the effectiveness of government. Few perceptions are more palpable than that of trust or its absence. Governments ignore this at their peril. Yet, public trust has been eroding just when policy makers need it most, given persistent unemployment, rising inequality and a variety of global pressures. This report examines the influence of trust on policy making and explores some of the steps governments can take to strengthen public trust.

In the fight against foreign bribery, the serious problems that hinder mutual legal assistance (MLA) in foreign bribery cases can make effective enforcement of the Anti-Bribery Convention difficult. This report catalogues MLA problems and it offers potential solutions. Many of the challenges and solutions identified are applicable to MLA generally and not specific to foreign bribery investigations.

Despite progress, open government reforms remain uneven across the Arab region and are hampered by the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. This report assesses the economic and social impact of open government based on experiences and good practices in OECD and Arab countries. It builds on the OECD’s extensive work in this field and provides a robust set of examples of legal and policy frameworks, governance arrangements, and successful initiatives on the ground. Based on this analysis, the report provides a series of policy recommendations for governments in the Arab region to promote open government.