Browse by: "2008"

This volume provides quantitative information on central government debt instruments for the 30 OECD member countries to meet the analytical requirements of users such as policy makers, debt management experts and market analysts. Statistics are presented according to a comprehensive standard framework to allow cross-country comparison.  Country notes provide information on debt issuance in each country as well as on the institutional and regulatory framework governing debt management policy and selling techniques.

This volume is the eleventh in the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) “Chemical Thermodynamics” series. It is based on a critical review of the thermodynamic properties of thorium, its solid compounds and aqueous complexes, initiated as part of the NEA Thermochemical Database Project Phase III (TDB III). The database system developed at the OECD/NEA Data Bank ensures consistency not only within the recommended data sets of thorium, but also amongst all the data sets published in the series. This volume will be of particular interest to scientists carrying out performance assessments of deep geological disposal sites for radioactive waste.

Climate change is a fact of life. We need to act urgently if we are to avoid an irreversible build-up of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and global warming at a potentially huge cost to the economy and society worldwide. OECD analysis suggests that if we act now, we have 10 to 15 years’ “breathing space” during which action is possible at a relatively modest cost. But every year of delay reduces this breathing space, while requiring ever more stringent measures to make a difference. Current financial turmoil is not a reason to delay. Indeed, its macroeconomic consequences will be resolved in a relatively short time, after which growth will resume, while the consequences of inaction on global warming will continue to grow more and more costly over time...

El Salvador’s first competition law took effect on 1 January 2006. The law, following some important amendments in 2007, is sound in most respects. It employs enforcement standards that are consistent with best practices in the worldwide competition community. It provides the new competition agency, La Superintendencia de Competencia (Superintendency) with the powers that it needs to enforce the law effectively. In less than three years El Salvador is off to a good – one might say excellent – start. Its experience can serve, in some ways at least, as an example of an effective way to begin to implement a competition policy...

This volume reviews the state of the art in conducting sustainability assessments, including the range of methodologies and tools available. It describes current practice in OECD countries, as well as the continuing debate on quantifying and comparing diverse types of short- and long-term policy impacts. 

This publication presents information about VAT/GST and excise duty rates in OECD member countries as well as information about indirect tax topics such as international aspects of VAT development and application of VAT to small and medium-size enterprises. It also describes a range of taxation provisions in OECD member countries, such as the taxation of motor vehicles, tobacco and alcoholic beverages. This edition’s special feature describes the way VAT is implemented in three significant non-OECD economies: China, Russia and India.

Countries today face numerous environmental policy challenges, such as climate change, air and water pollution, natural-resource management, natural disasters and environment-related hazards. The costs of not responding to them can be considerable, in some cases representing a significant drag on OECD economies. Estimation of these costs can be an important part of identifying areas in which policy interventions are required, as well as of establishing priorities for future action. There is, however, considerable uncertainty associated with all stages of “costing” the impacts of  environmental and resource degradation. Even when the costs of inaction are deemed important, identifying the areas where environmental policies need to be strengthened still requires careful comparison between the marginal costs of inaction versus action. This report provides introductory perspectives on the costs of inaction and discusses some of the future problems likely to be encountered in this very complex area.

This publication presents comprehensive statistics on aid flows in support of HIV/AIDS control. The analysis of aid flows covers the years 2000-2006, including trends in donors’ aid and the degree of targeting to countries most in need; estimates are provided for year 2007. The publication also records the relevant aid activities reported by DAC members and multilateral institutions to the CRS Aid Activity database (Creditor Reporting System). The information is based on individual commitments and disbursements of Official Development Assistance (ODA) to HIV/AIDS control.

This set of standards is published within the framework of the activities of the Scheme for the Application of International Standards for Fruit and Vegetables set up by OECD in 1962. It comprises comments and illustrations to facilitate the common interpretation of standards in force and is therefore a valuable tool for both the Inspection Authorities and professional bodies responsible for the application of standards or interested in the international trade in these products.

Deploying Renewables: Principles for Effective Policies examines the key factors that will determine the success of renewable energy policies and how current policies can be improved to encourage greater deployment of renewables. Responding to the Gleneagles G8 call for a clean and secure energy future, it highlights key policy tools to fast-track renewables into the mainstream. This analysis illustrates good practices by applying the combined metrics of effectiveness and efficiency to renewable energy policies in the electricity, heating and transport sectors. It highlights significant barriers to accelerating renewables penetration, and argues that the great potential of renewables can be exploited much more rapidly and to a much larger extent if good practices are adopted.

The OECD Development Assistance Committee's annual report on international aid.  This year's edition includes an overview by the DAC Chairman reviewing recent trends in aid volume, allocation, and effectiveness.  Special chapters on Effective Aid Management and Aid Effectiveness examine DAC experience in these areas. Individual chapters for each donor country summarise key features of each country's programme including data on total flows, breakdowns by income group, geographical region and sector, and listing of the top ten recipients. Country chapters also include commentary on the donor's commitment to the MDGs, aid effectiveness, and policy coherence. The comprehensive statistical annex provides graphs and tables showing the evolution of aid flows.

This directory provides official information on the mandates, dates of creation and durations of current mandates, composition of member countries and observers, and chairmanship of the OECD Council and its related committees, sub-committees, working groups, expert groups, and ad hoc groups.  It includes coverage of the International Energy Agency and the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency and is updated annually.  It is, in effect, a guide to country participation in the many activities of the OECD for the year 2008. 

This report evaluates strategies to improve the efficiency with which environmental resources are used to meet human needs. Many firms in OECD countries have developed strategies that involve:
- developing goals to reduce resource use and pollutant release while improving customer service;
- working towards the goals through innovation in technology, practices, and ways of thinking; and
- designing indicators to monitor progress.
Similar approaches have been used outside business, for example by governments, communities and groups of households. Such strategies have achieved improvements in material and energy efficiency in the region of 10% to 40%. The full potential for improving eco-efficiency is much greater, but it is only likely to be achieved through coherent government policies for sustainable development. The report identifies policies that can encourage innovation by firms and communities, and provide an economy-wide framework of economic and regulatory incentives for the adoption of more sustainable patterns of production and consumption.

Climate change poses a serious challenge to social and economic development. This report provides a critical assessment of adaptation costs and benefits in key climate sensitive sectors, as well as at national and global levels. It also moves the discussion beyond cost estimation to the potential and limits of economic and policy instruments - including insurance and risk sharing, environmental markets and pricing, and public private partnerships - that can be used to motivate adaptation actions.