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The environmental safety/risks of transgenic organisms are normally based on the information on the characteristics of the host organism, the introduced traits, the environment into which the organism is introduced, the interaction between these, and the intended application. The OECD’s Working Group on Harmonisation of Regulatory Oversight in Biotechnology decided at its first session, in June 1995, to focus its work on identifying parts of this information, which could be commonly used in countries for environmental safety/risk assessment to encourage information sharing and prevent duplication of effort among countries. Biosafety Consensus Documents are one of the major outputs of its work.

The OECD Council Recommendation on Improving the Environmental Performance of Public Procurement (C(2002)3) "... invited the Environment Policy Committee to monitor, assess, and report to the Council in 2005 on Member countries’ implementation of this Recommendation, and on any barriers to further implementation" (Appendix I).
To help evaluate the extent to which member countries have implemented the Recommendation, a questionnaire was developed and applied (Appendix II). An informal Steering Group on Greener Public Purchasing was also established to guide the process. This Steering Group provided inputs to both the development of the questionnaire and the interpretation of its findings.

The OECD's Working Group on Harmonisation of Regulatory Oversight in Biotechnology decided at its first session, in June 1995, to focus its work on the development of consensus documents that are mutually acceptable among Member countries. These consensus documents contain information for use during the regulatory assessment of a particular product. In the area of plant biosafety, consensus documents are being developed on the biology of certain plants species, on specific genes and resulting proteins that when introduced into a plant result in the expression of specific traits and on issues arising from the use of general trait types in plants. This document addresses the general information concerning the ä-endotoxin genes and their protein toxin products that confer insect protection to plants.

This report presents a summary of the discussions at, and the outcomes from, the OECD workshop on Pesticide User Compliance Issues. The workshop was held in Ottawa, from 6-8 June 2006 and was hosted by Health Canada's Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA). The focus of the workshop was on issues and impediments to compliance associated with pesticide use. Such issues were addressed in the context of reducing risks to human health and the environment as well as risks to the integrity of the regulatory process.

This consensus document addresses compositional considerations for new varieties of sunflower by identifying the key food and feed nutrients and anti-nutrients. A general description of these components is provided. As well, there is background material on the production, processing and uses of sunflowers and considerations to be taken when assessing new sunflower varieties.

OECD countries invest significant resources in evaluating agricultural pesticides before they are marketed (or re-evaluating pesticides that have been in use for many years) to ensure that they do not pose unacceptable risks to human health and the environment. Since many pesticides used in OECD countries are the same, governments have recognised the substantial benefits that can be gained if the task of pesticide evaluations for registration and re-registration is shared, rather than duplicating each others' work. The OECD Pesticides Programme is working to establish the infrastructure that will facilitate such work sharing. The recent adoption of an OECD-wide future "vision", with specific deadlines for work sharing, should lead to additional (and more routine) work sharing arrangements between governments and industry.
This document provides responses to questions that are frequently asked by governments and industry about the concept of work sharing, and how it would operate in practice. Many of the questions were raised at an OECD seminar on work sharing, held on 31 May, 2006, at the Pesticide Control Service in Ireland. The answers were prepared by a panel of OECD government representatives at that seminar.

This document compiles information provided by member countries and other delegations on current developments on the safety of manufactured nanomaterials (section I) in their countries or organizations. There are also written reports on current activities related to nanotechnologies/ nanomaterials in other International Organisations such as the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) (section II). In addition, delegations added a short bulleted list of highlights at the top of their submissions to give readers a general idea of key events since the 1st meeting of the Working Party.

This report examines how policy co-ordination between the environment and health fields could be improved in order to better address environmental health issues. To this end, three cases studies were implemented in the United Kingdom, France and Canada, with particular focus on air pollution.
The report synthesises the main findings arising out from these case studies as well as from a review of the governance literature as well. It identifies the main means and obstacles to improved policy coordination of cross-cutting issues, such as environmental health. Recommendations are then suggested, intending to improve co-ordination between environmental and health policies.
This consensus document addresses compositional considerations for new varieties of cultivated mushroom Agaricus bisporus by identifying the key food and feed nutrients and anti-nutrients. A general description of these components is provided. As well, there is background material on the production, processing and uses of Agaricus  bisporus and considerations to be taken when assessing new Agaricus bisporus varieties.
Since 2001, OECD corporate net lending has risen sharply. This paper examines the main forces at play behind this run-up and provides some insight into whether and how they might possibly unwind in the future, a process that may already be underway. It shows in particular that, the increase is partly temporary with some of it likely to fade with the cycle and the ongoing adjustments in the financial and housing sectors. On the other hand, part of the increase reflects structural changes in corporate behaviour and in their environment and is likely to persist. The paper also points to cross-country differences reflecting, for example, the role of competiveness in Japan and continental Europe, and of the financial sector in the United Kingdom.
The average educational attainment of US students is weak by international comparison. For example, mean results of PISA test scores are below the OECD average. This is despite substantial resources devoted to the schooling system. One partial explanation for this is that academic standards, curriculum and examinations are not sufficiently challenging in most US states. In 2001, Congress enacted the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) to raise achievement levels, especially of certain groups that perform badly. The Act requires states to establish clear content standards as to what students should know, to regularly assess performance and to set thresholds for adequate yearly progress; it also requires schools where students are failing to meet such thresholds to improve or close, while enhancing options for parents of children in such schools to place their children elsewhere. The law appears to be well conceived, addressing key problems in a sensible manner. Preliminary indications are consistent with it raising school performance and closing achievement gaps. The NCLB legislation should therefore be reauthorised. Moreover, the NCLB framework of standards, assessment and accountability should be extended through upper secondary education. That said, there are a number of areas in which improvements could be made. Though the federal government cannot set standards, it could strengthen incentives for more states to make their standards more challenging. As well, the federal government should help states and districts to better test student achievement and assess progress.
America’s higher education system is among the best in the world. Nevertheless, there is scope for improvement. In particular, there appear to be substantial financial barriers to higher education despite large government expenditures aimed at promoting access. Policy makers have proposed addressing these barriers by increasing student grants. However, grants are costly, inefficient, inequitable and ineffective. Income tax concessions and state government subsidies suffer from similar problems. In contrast, international best practice seems to be converging on student loans with repayments that vary according to income. Income-contingent loans facilitate access to college at low fiscal cost and without the inefficiency and inequities that accompany grants, subsidies or tax concessions. At the same time, they do not discourage risk-averse or uninformed students in the way that conventional loans do. The United States has an income-contingent loan programme that should be expanded. While the design of repayments could be improved, the main problem with this programme is that lending limits are too low. Higher limits, especially for unsubsidised direct loans, would benefit students and promote access at little cost to the government. Were a good system of loans in place, then less cost-effective means of promoting access, such as grants and tax concessions, should be cut back.
Globalisation can be a threat or an opportunity, depending on a country’s trade mix and its economic and regulatory structure. This paper assesses which EU countries are most exposed to globalisation using, among other indicators, measures of revealed comparative advantage. It then looks at which countries are best placed to cope. This depends on labour and product market flexibility, the average skill level of the workforce, the innovation framework, the quality of the education system and the level and type of support, such as job-search assistance, that is given to those who are harmed by globalisation. This paper relates to the 2007 Economic Survey of the European Union(www.oecd.org/eco/surveys/eu).

This study evaluated the precipitating and debilitating factors that occurred in the emergence and growth of the private university system in Nigeria. Three research questions guided the analysis and examined enrolment patterns in seven pre-2003 private universities, students’ preferences for enrolment and the factors that encouraged and discouraged their emergence and growth in Nigeria. Data was gathered from published documents, research reports, government releases, memos, newspapers and the Internet and then analysed qualitatively, using tables and simple percentage computations. The study found that the private university system, having suffered an initial setback in the 1980s, has renewed success today because of the obvious failure of the public university system to adequately address multiple problems such as access, quality, funding, strikes, cultism, stability of the academic calendar –- which the private system has been able to overcome more effectively. However, it was noted that the private system is prohibitively expensive for the majority of qualified but indigent prospective applicants. The study recommends, in addition to special scholarship programmes, the design of a special student aid programme, accompanied by a traceable and institutionalised repayment system based on models found in certain developed countries.

by Gboyega Ilusanya and S.A. Oyebade

French

L’objet de cet article était d’identifier les moteurs et les entraves à l’œuvre dans l’émergence et l’essor du système universitaire privé au Nigéria. Trois axes de recherche ont ainsi été définis pour orienter notre analyse, à savoir la structure des inscriptions dans sept universités privées établies avant 2003, les demandes d’inscription préférentielles des étudiants, et enfin les facteurs ayant favorisé ou entravé l’émergence et le développement du système universitaire privé au Nigéria. Notre base de données a été constituée à partir de publications, de rapports de recherche, de communiqués officiels, de notes de synthèse, d’articles de presse et de sites Web, puis nous avons procédé à une analyse qualitative de ces données, étayée par une série de tableaux et de simples calculs de pourcentages. La conclusion de notre étude est la suivante : ayant tout d’abord subi un net repli dans les années 1980, le système universitaire privé au Nigéria est à l’heure actuelle en pleine expansion, en raison de l’incapacité évidente du système public à faire face à de nombreux problèmes liés notamment à l’accès, à la qualité, au financement, aux grèves, au sectarisme religieux, ou encore à la stabilité du calendrier universitaire – autant de points que le système privé est parvenu à maîtriser dans une plus large mesure. Notre analyse nous conduit toutefois à souligner que l’accès au système universitaire privé a un coût prohibitif pour la plupart des candidats potentiels qualifiés, issus de milieux défavorisés. Enfin, cette étude recommande, outre des dispositifs spéciaux d’octroi de bourses, la mise en œuvre d’un programme spécifique d’aide aux étudiants, associé à un système de remboursement traçable et institutionnalisé s’inspirant des modèles adoptés dans certains pays développés.

par Gboyega Ilusanya et S.A. Oyebade

English

This article describes how the principles of management for results have worked in practice over the past two decades in Australia. The current performance information framework involves, among other things, the accrual-based outcomes and outputs policy, performance agreements between heads of agencies and their responsible ministers, and regular review and assessment, particularly at agency level.

This article discusses budgeting institutions, processes and practices at the federal level in Austria. Separate sections are devoted to the budget formulation process, the role of parliament, and various aspects of budget implementation and government management issues. Each section highlights the government’s reform agenda and current practices, and analyses the two vis-à-vis OECD best practices.

This paper, originally presented at the 1981 meeting of the OECD Working Party of Senior Budget Officials, discusses the fundamental purposes of budgeting and explores how off-budget expenditures weaken a government’s financial control. The paper gives insights on many aspects of budgeting that are still relevant today: the transformation of the public sector, the interface with the private sector, the scope and size of government, the role of regulation, the emergence of new organisational forms, and the use of performance objectives and long-term planning.

A well-functioning public expenditure management system is considered a critical pillar of government efficiency. This article discusses PEM systems in developing countries using an analytical framework based on principal-agent theory. This simple model can be applied to various PEM systems and allows for comparisons between institutional settings. To illustrate this, the authors analyse the benefits derived from the use by the ministry of finance of ex post audits and ex ante controls, and assess their value in terms of their ability to deter cheating. The authors derive a set of possible “control regimes” which can be used by the ministry of finance.

Statistical trends of oil intensity from individual countries and groups of countries show that an average increase of GDP of 3% per annum equates to a projected demand for liquids of 101 Million barrels per day (Mbpd) by the year 2030. This analysis shows that this demand cannot be fulfilled by production from current reserves and expected new discoveries. Two models to assess peaks in production of oil are considered: the depletion model (DM), and the giant field model (GFM). The DM model shows Peak Oil (the maximum rate of production) date in the year 2011 with 90 Mbpd. Adding GFM we develop a “Worst Case” scenario of a plateau in production for the next 5 to 7 years at a rate of 84 Mbpd. A more optimistic case in the “Giant High Case” scenario is a peak in 2012 at 94 Mbpd. A less steep increase demand can move the peak to 2018. Both models show an oil production rate of the order of 50 to 60 Mbpd by 2030. The demand for oil from countries that are importers is forecast to increase from current import levels of 50 Mbpd to 80 Mbpd. Saudi Arabia, Russia and Norway, today’s largest oil exporters, will experience a decline in their export volumes of the order of 4 to 6 Mbpd by 2030 because of (what?). The projected shortfall cannot be offset by exports from other regions. In a business-as-usual case, the shortage of fossil fuel liquids for transportation will be substantial by the year 2030. The necessary decisions for the economic transformation required to mitigate this decline in available oil supply should already have been made and efforts to deploy solutions under way. We have climbed high on the “Oil Ladder” and yet we must descend one way or another. It may be too late for a gentle descent, but there may still be time to build a thick crash mat to cushion the fall.
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