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En juin 2004, l’Exécutif écossais a publié des lignes directrices pour l’évaluation après achèvement des nouveaux bâtiments scolaires construits, Building Our Future : Scotland’s School Estate (Construisons notre avenir : le parc immobilier scolaire en Écosse), qui s’inscrivaient dans la stratégie immobilière applicable au secteur éducatif. Les lignes directrices étaient complétées par une évaluation sous forme d’étude de cas d’une école primaire d’Édimbourg (voir PEB Échanges, n° 53, octobre 2004). Continuant à soutenir les travaux d’évaluation du parc immobilier scolaire, l’Exécutif a récemment organisé un atelier sur l’évaluation de la fonctionnalité des bâtiments à l’intention des autorités locales et doit publier sous peu une nouvelle étude de cas concernant une évaluation expérimentale effectuée, cette fois, dans un établissement secondaire, le lycée Braes.
In June 2004, the Scottish Executive published guidance on evaluating completed school building projects, Building Our Future: Scotland’s School Estate, as part of the School Estate Strategy; the guidance included a case study evaluation at an Edinburgh primary school (see PEB Exchange, no. 53, October 2004). The Executive is continuing to support evaluation work on the school estate by recently holding a post-occupancy evaluation (POE) workshop for local authorities and soon publishing a further demonstration case study, this time at secondary level, at Braes High School.
This paper assesses if GDP per capita is an adequate proxy as a measure of wellbeing or whether other indicators are more suitable for this purpose. Within the national accounts framework, other better measures of economic resources exist, but they are closely correlated with GDP per capita and are not as readily available. Illustrative calculations to ?extend? measures of economic resources to include leisure time, the sharing of income within households and distributional concerns suggest that cross-country ranking of based on these indicators and GDP per capita are generally similar, although they have evolved differently over time. Across OECD countries, levels of most measures of specific social conditions are significantly related to GDP per capita while changes over time are not. However, survey based data on happiness and life-satisfaction across OECD countries are only weakly related to levels of GDP per capita. Overall, measures of GDP per capita and economic growth remain critical for any assessment of wellbeing but they need to be complemented with measures of other dimensions of well-being to get a comprehensive picture of well-being.
According to the GATS, services can be traded through four different modes of supply, namely, cross border supply, consumption abroad, commercial presence, and movement of natural persons, termed modes 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. There is much evidence to indicate interdependence across these four modes in services trade. There are essentially two types of linkages, namely, positive and negative linkages, across the various modes of supply. Positive linkages take the form of (i) complementarities across modes, where one or more mode is simultaneously used for providing the service across borders; and (ii) facilitation across modes, where trade through one mode creates conditions that are conducive for trading through other modes. Negative linkages take the form of (i) substitution across modes, where trade through one mode is substituted by another; (ii) restrictions on one mode which affect trade through other modes of supply and distort the way in which a service is trade; and (iii) restrictions which apply across multiple modes and constrain several modes simultaneously. In addition to these first order linkages, there are also extended spillover effects across the modes that arise indirectly over the medium and long run. This paper discusses the various kinds of linkages that are found in service sector trade, using evidence from companies, countries, and surveys and from a wide range of services. The objective is to provide an integrated perspective on service sector trade and related multilateral negotiations under the GATS so that countries can better leverage cross modal and cross-subsectoral trade opportunities, address constraints in a holistic manner, and maximize the overall gains from services trade.
Services are the main drivers of economic growth in OECD countries and they are becoming increasingly innovative. This study analyses the role of open services markets in the transfer and diffusion of technology from developed countries to developing countries. It first explores how trade in services increases exposure to foreign technologies. The four modes of supply of services, as defined in the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), are closely interlinked with the main channel of technology diffusion identified in the economic literature. The report then investigates how open services markets can reduce the cost of technology transfer and help to build better absorptive capacities in five sectors (business services, telecommunications, financial services, higher education and training, and logistics services). The last part of the study highlights the productivity gains from services trade liberalisation and the technological spillovers inside the receiving economy. The report shows that emphasis should be placed on services in the debate on trade and growth and that services liberalisation in key sectors, which facilitate the exchange of knowledge between foreign and domestic companies, can have a significant impact on technology diffusion.
This report sets out the particular approach to special and differential treatment (SDT) in the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). In particular, the report explores how the degree of flexibility afforded to all Members under the GATS shapes its approach to SDT. Further, the report analyses the current proposals for improving SDT provisions in the context of the GATS. Finally, some initial empirical evidence on the use and effectiveness of SDT provisions in the GATS is presented, both in terms of market access in sectors of export interest to developing countries and services-related technical assistance.
The OECD developed a System of Composite Leading indicators for its Member countries in the early 1980's based on the 'growth cycle' approach. Today the OECD compiles composite leading indicators (CLIs) for 23 of its 30 Member countries and it is envisaged to expand country coverage to include all Member countries and the major six OECD non-member economies (NMEs) monitored by the organization in the OECD System of Composite Leading Indicators. The importance of the six major NMEs was considered the first priority and a workshop with participants from the six major NMEs was held at the OECD in Paris in April 2005 to discuss an initial OECD selection of potential leading indicators for the six major NMEs and national suggestions for alternative and/or additional potential leading indicators for calculation of country specific composite leading indicators. The outcomes of this meeting and followup activities undertaken by the OECD in co-operation with the participating national agencies are reflected in the results presented in this final version of the document. The OECD indicator system uses univariate analysis to estimate trend and cycles individually for each component series and then a composite indicator is obtained by aggregation of the resulting de-trended components. Today, statistical techniques based on alternative univariate methods and multivariate analysis are increasingly used in cyclical analysis and some of these techniques are used in this study to supplement the current OECD approach in the selection of leading components and the construction of composite indicators.
In the vast majority of OECD economies, house prices in real terms have been moving up strongly since the mid-1990s. Because of the important role housing wealth has been playing during the current upswing, this paper will look more closely at what is underlying these developments for 18 OECD countries over the period from 1970 to the present, with a view to shedding some light on whether or not prices are in line with fundamentals. The paper begins by putting the most recent housing price run-ups in the context of the experiences of the past 35 years. It then examines current valuations against a range of benchmarks. It concludes with a review of the links between a possible correction of housing prices and real activity. The main highlights from this analysis are as follows: 1) The size and duration of the current real house price increases; the degree to which they have tended to move together across countries; and the extent to which they have disconnected from the business cycle are unprecedented. 2) Overvaluation of real house prices may only apply to a relatively small number of countries. However, the extent to which these prices look to be fairly valued depends largely on longer-term interest rates remaining at or close to their current low levels. 3) If house prices were to adjust downward, the historical record suggests that the drops might be large and that the process could be protracted, given the observed stickiness of nominal house prices and the current low rates of inflation.
This paper reviews the fiscal relations between the three levels of government in Austria and points to the scope for reforming them with a view to improving the efficiency of the public sector. Key areas of public sector activity are subject to complex relations across the three layers of government. Fragmentation of decision-making in some spending programmes, such as hospital care and social assistance benefits, needs to be overcome, concentrating financing and spending responsibilities on one government level. Strengthening co-operation between municipalities as well as amalgamations of small municipalities would allow advantage to be taken of scale economies in the provision of local government services. Stronger tax-raising powers of the municipalities and the states, reform of tax sharing rules and improved budgeting procedures would raise the ability of sub-national governments to match the supply of services to local demand patters and improve accountability to voters. This Working Paper relates to the 2005 OECD Economic Survey of Austria (www.oecd.org/eco/surveys/austria)
Significant progress has been made in quantifying the effects of non-tariff measures since OECD commissioned its last major review of this topic in 1997. This paper reviews the literature of NTMs and assesses the different methods available. Additionally, the paper develops a series of questions to help determine which method of analysis is best given the interests of the researchers or policy makers. Of the possible avenues of future research, the trade costs approach is offered. This approach has the potential of shedding new light on the interactions among various policies and practices by assessing which areas offer the greatest potential for gains, and improving the precision of available estimates.
La conférence ministérielle de l’OMC qui s’est tenue en décembre 2005 à Hong Kong a permis quelques avancées du Programme de Doha pour le développement, mais il reste beaucoup à faire, en particulier pour fixer les modalités des négociations sur l’agriculture et sur l’accès aux marchés pour les produits non agricoles, et pour donner plus d’épaisseur à l’AGCS. En outre, les progrès réalisés sont à nuancer, qu’il s’agisse de la réponse apportée aux préoccupations des producteurs africains de coton ou de l’amélioration de l’accès aux marchés pour les produits des pays les moins avancés. Compte tenu de ce qu’il reste à accomplir, il n’est pas certain que les nouvelles échéances fixées seront respectées ni que le Programme de Doha pour le développement sera achevé en temps voulu. Un ralentissement de la dynamique de libéralisation multilatérale peut avoir de nombreuses conséquences ; les analyses réalisées par l’OCDE montrent que l’ampleur des opportunités perdues pourra être considérable et que le système commercial multilatéral risque d’être soumis à des tensions systémiques. Les pays en développement seraient alors parmi les principaux perdants. Pour aller de l’avant, il faudra envisager les politiques commerciales dans un contexte plus large au niveau intérieur, en reconnaissant que l’ouverture du marché est plus efficace lorsqu’elle est appuyée par des politiques macroéconomiques solides, des marchés de l’emploi souples, une culture de la concurrence et des institutions fortes. En se plaçant dans cette perspective, il est possible de promouvoir la réforme des échanges en l’envisageant comme un outil indispensable de la croissance et du développement plutôt que comme une concession.
The WTO Ministerial Meeting in Hong Kong in December 2005 made some progress in advancing the Doha Development Agenda. But much remains to be done, particularly in settling negotiating modalities in agriculture and NAMA and in putting some flesh onto the bones of the GATS. And where progress was made it was qualified, whether in dealing with the concerns of African cotton producers or in improving market access for the products of the least developed countries. Given the work still to do, it is not guaranteed that new deadlines will be met or that the DDA will be concluded on time. There is much at stake should the momentum of multilateral liberalisation stall; analysis at the OECD points to the risk of both major opportunities forgone and of systemic strains to the multilateral trading framework. Developing countries would be amongst the principal losers. Charting the way ahead will require that trade policy be seen in a broader domestic context which recognises that market opening works best when it is backed by sound macroeconomic policies, flexible labour markets, a culture of competition and strong institutions. Through this lens, trade reform can be promoted as a necessary tool of growth and development rather than as a concession paid to others.
The delivery of an appropriate quantity and quality of health care in an efficient way requires, among other things, matching the supply with the demand for the services of physicians, over time. Such matching has led to very different levels of physicians per million population across OECD countries – because of variations, among other things, in: morbidity and mortality, health expenditure as a share of GDP and the design of health systems. In addition, there are signs that a higher density of physicians is found in countries which have left the supply of physicians mainly to the market whereas lower density is found in countries which have planned the intake to medical schools centrally over many years...
This paper is part of the OECD project on decoupling and follows the analytical framework defined in OECD (2001). The main objective is to estimate the importance of the dynamic investment effects of area payments using farm level data from the Italian FADN survey. It investigates the investment response by crop producers under the assumption that they are risk averse, and there is uncertainty concerning prices. A dynamic econometric model is estimated. Investment is defined as current expenditure on machinery and buildings for crop production. This paper uses the same data as OECD (2002) and makes estimations and simulations in a way that can be compared with the results obtained in that paper.
The aim of the study is to measure the impact of the 1992 reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) on arable crop yields in the European Union (EU), and more specifically to quantify the impact that the introduction of compensatory area payments had on yields. The CAP reform in May 1992 consisted largely in reducing support prices and offsetting the ensuing loss of income with direct payments based on factors of production, i.e. acreage in the case of COP (cereal, oilseed and protein) crops.
All types of agricultural support measures are likely to have an impact on investment. This is particularly the case of the most coupled forms of support such as market price support. However, the dimension of the investment impacts may differ significantly across policy measures since they have different impacts on the farmer’s decision environment. For instance, they have different impact on effective incentive prices and different income transfer efficiency. Under these circumstances the investment effects can be very different, requiring a specific empirical analysis.
Earlier studies in the OECD project on decoupling estimated static models of crop production incorporating risk aversion, following the analytical framework in OECD (2001). In contrast, this paper studies primarily dynamic models of crop investment. The province of Manitoba is selected as an example of Canadian prairie crop production, and investment is defined as current expenditure on machinery and equipment for Manitoba crop production (the data are not crop specific). This is the first econometric study of dynamic crop investment decisions for Canada, and as far as can be ascertained this is the first econometric study for any country of dynamic crop investment under risk aversion. Econometric results are used to simulate impacts of agricultural programmes on crop investment.
The jurisdiction of regulators has changed in many countries as responsibilities, formerly with ministries, was transferred to regulators.
This study aims to establish whether farmers respond to insurance subsidies by either augmenting yields (changing non-land inputs use) or by changing crop patterns, or both. It also aims to provide an evaluation of farmers’ relative risk aversion coefficients.
This paper provides a review of the literature relating to empirical studies of the acreage and/or production response to the direct payments made to US farmers of wheat, feed grains, cotton and rice under the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 and related payments made under additional legislation during the period 1999-2002.