Browse by: "T"

Behavioural insights (BI) are lessons derived from the behavioural and social sciences, including decision making, psychology, cognitive science, neuroscience, organisational and group behaviour. Public bodies around the world are increasingly using BI to design and implement better public policies based on evidence of the actual behaviour and biases of citizens and businesses. This toolkit provides practitioners and policy makers with a step-by-step process for analysing a policy problem, building strategies, and developing behaviourally informed interventions.

Procurement of information and communication technologies (ICT) plays a decisive role not only in public-service delivery but in public-sector modernisation. This report takes stock of current ICT procurement practices in the Slovak Republic and provides evidence-based strategic policy advice for the Slovak Government on how to adopt more innovative and agile approaches in ICT procurement. It presents examples from OECD countries on ICT procurement reforms and the use of innovative, flexible approaches for public procurement of ICT.

This public governance review of Mexico examines the regulatory framework in Mexico, explains how e-government could be used to find new approaches to old challenges, and looks at the challenge of professionalising public servants in Mexico.

The role of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in the Middle East and North African economies  (MENA) has historically been and remains significant in terms of their contribution to the economic value added, employment and the provision of vital services. State-owned enterprises operate across a wide range of sectors in the region - hydrocarbons, banking, construction – but also in network industries. Despite the privatisations carried out during the 1980-1990s, the role of the state in Arab economies has not declined and in many ways have indeed increased, reflecting the growth of oil and gas SOEs, sovereign wealth funds and infrastructure development projects, often carried out with the involvement of the state. This publication seeks to provide insight into the varied and rich experience in SOE reform in the region over the past decade, highlighting reform initiatives undertaken at national and country specific levels. It is unique in highlighting the challenges faced by policymakers in reforming the governance of regional SOEs

This report analyses Egypt’s legal and policy framework and takes stock of the Egyptian Government’s efforts to co-ordinate child justice services and make the justice system in Egypt more child-friendly. It includes an analysis of specific design and delivery mechanisms of justice and support services based on the legal needs of children and identifies the roles, responsibilities and co-operation opportunities for relevant governmental stakeholders involved in child-friendly justice. The review considers a range of essential components of a child-friendly justice system in all its forms – criminal, civil and administrative justice. It highlights the results achieved so far and provides tailored policy recommendations to support Egypt in better meeting the justice needs of children, in line with international standards and treaties.

Latvia’s current National Development Plan, approved in 2020, sets out a clear vision for the Latvian justice system by 2027. This includes establishing international standards and good practices in the development of national policies to build a child-friendly justice system. This report assesses the benefits of implementing the Barnahus model in Latvia as a child-friendly and interagency one-stop shop to support children exposed to violence or abuse as well as those who have witnessed violence. It examines a whole-of-state approach to promote a justice system that is more people- and child-friendly, incorporating sound governance mechanisms. This report provides recommendations for delivering more targeted and accessible child-friendly justice services in Latvia, as well as different approaches used in OECD Member and partner countries to close justice inequality gaps. 

This review examines the recent reforms undertaken by the government of Kazakhstan in the area of public governance and evaluates their impact on the effectiveness, strategic capacity and accountability of the state. The review places particular emphasis on strategic planning, policy and programme evaluation, risk management, devolution and functional reviews, privatisation and the oversight of state-owned enterprises – all areas in which the government has taken or considered significant initiatives. The report offers a number of recommendations for further progress towards an effective, strategic and accountable state.

This assessment provides an evidence-based analysis of the ongoing decentralisation reforms in Jordan from the perspective of the principles and practices of open government. It covers topics such as enhancing the role of the centre of government in driving reform, enabling effective public service delivery at the local level, and the potential and expected impact of the country’s decentralisation reforms on Jordan’s open government agenda.

There is an emerging consensus concerning a new strategic mode for spatial policy. In the past, planning resulted in zoned land uses characterised by a rigid separation of housing from leisure and workplaces. This strongly sectoral approach is breaking down under the pressure of environmental problems, technological innovations, and a societal demand for a higher quality of life. Spatial planning will increasingly involve broad framework policies at the national level, and strong partnerships at the local and regional level. This volume is based on two international seminars oranised by the OECD and the National Land Agency, Japan.

Under President Enrique Peña Nieto’s leadership, Mexico has put together the most ambitious reform package of any OECD country in recent times, forged the political consensus necessary to approve it through the unprecedented Pacto por México, promoted these and other reforms in Congress and has started implementing them. The battery of reforms has addressed challenges in policy areas that had been waiting for deep changes for decades, including education, labour, tax, health, telecommunication, and energy and justice, among many others. Mexico still faces important challenges which is why it is crucial for Mexico to continue its reform agenda. It is imperative to strengthen some of the recent reforms, and to keep updating and promoting them to ensure their effective implementation. The OECD stands ready to further accompany Mexico on this path.

The government of Kazakhstan has shown a strong commitment to enhancing transparency, accountability and participation in the policy-making process, and has taken important steps towards implementing open government. However, further efforts are need to ensure the success and long-term sustainability of Kazakhstan’s open government reforms. This review provides an overview of the cultural, economic, historical and political context for open government reforms. It examines ongoing efforts, identifies the remaining challenges and assesses the measures put in place by Kazakhstan’s authorities to address them in order to translate the reforms into tangible results. Finally, the report looks at the environment for effective citizen engagement and its potential to improve service delivery and policy making. It provides recommendations for concrete actions Kazakhstan can take to fully implement open government reforms.

This book analyses the role of regional governments in the trade policy of the Russian Federation. It examines regional trade-related policies, such as subsidies, taxes and licensing, and their implications for Russia's international  trade commitments, and in particular its negotiations for accession to the  World Trade Organisation. In effect, when the Russian Federation accedes to  the WTO, it will be required to ensure that the laws and administrative practices of its sub-national governments are in conformity with its WTO  commitments.

The OECD Joint Group on Trade and Competition was established in 1996 to help deepen understanding of the complex issues arising at the interface of these two policy domains against a globalising backdrop and explore how best to ensure that both sets of policies are mutually supportive in promoting greater economic efficiency. This publication, the third to arise from Joint Group activities, brings together a series of working papers that Member countries’ trade and competition authorities have considered during the past two years. The objective of the publication is to share with a broader audience the tangible progress made recently by the two communities in the analysis of important issues at the interface between trade and competition policies.

To further benefit from trade liberalisation, developed and developing countries must get their policies right, in trade and other spheres, such as the web of domestic regulations that affect commerce within and between countries. In the run-up to the November 1999 WTO Ministerial in Seattle, Washington, and a possible new round of multilateral trade negotiations, a Conference on trade and competition was held on 29-30 June 1999 at the OECD to explore the various options towards better coherence between trade and competition policies. This Conference provided OECD countries and 30 non-member countries, academics and representatives of business, trade unions and advocacy groups a unique opportunity to discuss ways to strengthen trade and competition policies in the interests of more open global markets. They examined the effects of trade measures on competition. They also debated whether private anticompetitive practices, and certain domestic regulations, point to the need for multilateral trade and competition rules. This publication summarises those discussions and includes keynote addresses by Sir Leon Brittan and U.S. Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust Joel Klein, as well as an issues paper drafted by the OECD Secretariat to serve as a background note for the Conference.

The links between trade policy and competition policy have become more important in recent years. With tariff reductions, trade negotiators are looking increasingly at non-border policies that distort trade and at non-governmental barriers to trade. And, as official barriers to trade and investment fall, firms may have a greater incentive to engage in anti-competitive conduct to protect markets. Hence the need for coherent trade and competition policies. Trade and competition policies each seek to improve the allocation of resources; they complement and reinforce each other. These papers from the OECD Joint Group on Trade and competition examine aspects of those complementarities and relationships and in so doing draw on the OECD’s capacity to analyse questions in a multidisciplinary way. This book -- which includes a whole chapter on the telecommunications sector -- throws new light on all these issues in the lead up to the WTO's new round of negotiations. But whatever the outcome of Seattle, the questions raised in this volume will remain relevant.