Browse by: "2006"

With traffic crashes being the single greatest killer of those aged 15-24 in OECD countries, this report provides an overview of the scope of the problem of young driver risk, its primary causes and concrete options to combat it.  It systematically examines the specifics of young driver crashes as well as the factors behind the risk such as drugs and alcohol, fatigue, skills acquired, and motivation for safe driving. It then examines countermeasures currently employed as well as new technological innovations which might be helpful.

While women account for more than half of university graduates in several OECD countries, they receive only 30% of tertiary degrees granted in science and engineering fields. This publication presents the proceedings of a recent international workshop to assess the underlying causes behind the low participation of women in scientific careers, especially at senior levels, and to identify good practice policies to attract, recruit and retain women in scientific careers in public and private research.

Drawing on data from the OECD’s Programme for International Students Assessment (PISA), this report examines the performance of students with immigrant backgrounds and compares it to that of their native counterparts. As well as providing information on countries’ approaches to the integration of immigrants, it looks at other factors that could influence immigrant students’ performance – such as their attitudes to school, their motivation and learning strategies as well as their social background and the language spoken at home – giving valuable implications for educational policy.

Agriculture is a major user of water and is responsible for much of its pollution. But the agricultural sector faces increasing competition for scarce water supplies from urban and industrial users and, increasingly, to sustain ecosystems.  This conference proceedings explores how both governments and the private sector can expand the role of markets to allocate water used by all sectors and to get agricultural producers to account for the pollution that their sector generates.

In demystifying the concept of market-like instruments, this study explains how to make better use of market-like instruments in fisheries management by identifying practical steps that can be taken to further their use. The findings of the study are based on a survey of the use of market-like instruments in OECD fisheries in which the key characteristics of these instruments in different countries are identified. It finds that market-like instruments have generally improved the economic efficiency of the sector, and have helped to ensure the sustainability of fish stocks.

Published every other year, Uranium Resources, Production, and Demand, or the “Red Book” as it is commonly known, is jointly prepared by the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency and the International Atomic Energy Agency. It is the recognised world reference on uranium and is based on official information received from 43 countries. This 21st edition presents the results of a thorough review of world uranium supplies and demand as of 1st January 2005 and provides a statistical profile of the world uranium industry in the areas of exploration, resource estimates, production and reactor-related requirements. It provides substantial new information from all major uranium production centres in Africa, Australia, Central Asia, Eastern Europe and North America. Projections of nuclear generating capacity and reactor-related uranium requirements through 2025 are provided as well as a discussion of long-term uranium supply and demand issues. This edition focuses on recent price and production increases that could signal major changes in the industry.

Ukraine has one of the most energy-intensive economies in the industrialised world. While energy consumption has dropped since the country’s independence, reliance on imports, particularly on gas from Russia, has not declined. This report examines how the Ukraine can meet these challenges.  It identifies three key priority areas for action: energy efficiency, cost-reflective pricing and transparency. Efficiency represents not only Ukraine’s single best opportunity to improve energy security but is also vital for the country’s growth and development. The report covers all aspects of the energy sector, such as energy demand, the policy framework and subsectors including energy efficiency, oil, gas, coal, electricity, district heating and renewable energy.

This publication presents the most up-to-date statistics on the passenger and freight transport markets in Europe, together with charts highlighting the major trends. Published earlier than comparable studies, this report provides the reader with first-hand figures on key transport trends. It analyses the transport situation in the western and eastern European countries, as well as the Baltic States and the CIS.

With the removal of many trade policy barriers, further international economic integration depends largely on the reduction of trade costs originating in the transport sector. This Round Table presents three papers focusing on the structure and development of international transport costs over the past decades and the benefits to be expected from investment in international transport facilities and the reduction of the costs of crossing borders. The papers were provided by David Hummels (Purdue University), Anthony Venables (London School of Economics and Centre for Economic Policy Research) as well as Harry Broadman and John S. Wilson (World Bank).

Over the past decades, many OECD countries' transport sectors have become more decentralised.  This report examines whether the economic benefits and experiences of decentralisation have been positive.  It finds that the answers vary according to the mode of transport, the type of decentralisation, and transport users' representation in the process of decision-making.

Land links between Europe and Asia can offer a viable alternative to sea transport. However, the provision of efficient land links between Europe and Asia requires appropriate policy decisions on issues such as the development of adequate infrastructure and the removal of regulatory or institutional barriers that prevent the development of efficient transport services. This publication features the recommendations approved by the Ministers and the “Report on Trends in Europe-Asia Trade and Consequences for Transport."  It also includes the plan of action approved by Ministers to facilitate intermodal transport between Europe and Asia and the conclusions of a previous seminar in Kiev on “Intermodal Transport between Europe and Asia: Opportunities and Challenges”.

These proceedings of the OECD Global Forum on Agriculture brought together experts from both developing and developed countries and from both the agriculture and development communities. The papers presented explore why policy coherence is important, how it affects global agricultural trade, and whether it can help reduce poverty and hunger.

This study provides a number of case studies that illustrate how the international trade system has been exploited by criminal organisations. It also presents the results of a survey gathering information on the current practices of more than thirty countries in fighting money laundering. This information focuses on the ability of various government agencies to identify suspicious activities related to trade transactions, to share this information with domestic and foreign partner agencies, and to act on this information.