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The ITF Transport Outlook provides an overview of recent trends and near-term prospects for the transport sector at a global level, as well as long-term prospects for transport demand to 2050, for freight (maritime, air and surface), passenger transport (car, rail and air) and CO2 emissions. This edition looks at how the main policy, economic and technological changes since 2015, along with other international developments (such as the Sustainable Development Goals), are shaping the future of mobility, and presents alternative policy scenarios for long-term trends in transport demand and CO2 emissions from all transport modes, freight and passenger. A special focus on accessibility in cities also highlights the role of policies in shaping sustainable transport systems that provide equal access to all.

This publication identifies the main areas of weakness and potential areas for action to combat money-laundering, tax evasion, foreign bribery, and to identify, freeze and return stolen assets. It also looks at the role of development agencies and finds that the potential returns to developing countries from using ODA on issues like combating tax evasion or asset recovery are significant.  Finally, it identifies some opportunities for a scaled-up role for development agencies.

This report assesses the immediate impact of Russia’s war against the people of Ukraine on global financial markets, and the continuing potential for spillovers into those markets. While the war has not yet caused a number of existing vulnerabilities to fully crystallise, high levels of uncertainty remain, driven by heightened geopolitical tensions. The report reviews a range of interrelated channels which could transmit shocks from Russia’s war to global financial markets, from direct exposures across sectors, to the effects of higher commodity prices, and impacts on investor sentiment. In doing so, it underlines areas within the financial system where enhanced scrutiny from supervisors and policy makers may be necessary to manage the elevated risks arising from the war going forward.

Water and its improved governance are critical for economic growth, social inclusiveness and environmental sustainability. Three years after the adoption of the OECD Water Governance Principles, this report takes stock of their use and dissemination. It provides a water governance indicator framework and a set of evolving practices for bench-learning, building on lessons learned from different countries and contexts.
 
Based on an extensive bottom up and multi-stakeholder process within the OECD Water Governance Initiative (WGI), these tools are conceived of as voluntary methodologies to be carried out at country, region, basin and/or city levels to improve water policies. The indicator framework is composed of a traffic light system based on 36 input and process indicators and a checklist with questions on a number of more specific governance conditions. The framework concludes with an action plan to help prioritise steps towards better design and implementation of water policies.

Costly and lengthy regulatory barriers, accompanied by sluggish markets, have long been reasons for companies and their shareholders to look for alternatives to Initial Public Offerings (IPOs). A popular alternative has often been to pursue backdoor listing – often accomplished through a reverse merger, exchange offer, or rights offer, for instance. Because backdoor listings are often not under the strict oversight of listing rules and regulations, it is argued that they are prone to fraud and abuse. This report provides four regulatory strategies for consideration by policy makers in Indonesia, in order to support their efforts to improve listing and corporate governance standards.

A major challenge facing the Republic of Buryatia, subject of the Russian Federation, is how to balance the task of protecting Lake Baikal – a unique water object and ecological system included in the UNESCO list of World Natural Heritage Areas – with the need for dynamic and sustainable socio-economic development of the republic.  This requires streamlining and improving water policy jointly with economic, administrative, information and other policy instruments. The recommendations in this report aim to help achieve this objective. They include the introduction of abstraction charges for irrigation water as a  natural resource; enhancement of state support to the water sector; and improvement of economic instruments for managing risks of water-related hazards (such as compulsory insurance and differentiated land tax rates in flood prone areas). A few innovative instruments are also recommended for pilot testing such as establishing limits for discharges of certain hazardous substances in a pilot area (e.g. Selenga river basin) and progressive development of market for tradable quotas for discharges of the “capped” pollutants; and introducing a charge (tax) on toxic agricultural chemicals (pesticides, herbicides, etc.) and synthetic detergents so that to create incentives for the reduction of diffuse water pollution.

This symposium proceedings examines three aspects of financial education: monitoring and evaluation, use of behavioral economics,  and financial literacy and defined contribution pension plans.

This book, the first major study of financial education at the international level, contributes to the development of consumer financial literacy by providing information to policy makers on effective financial education programmes and by promoting the exchange of views and the sharing of experience in the field of financial education and awareness. It identifies and analyses financial literacy surveys in member countries, highlights the economic, demographic and policy changes that make financial education increasingly important, and describes the different types of financial education programmes currently being offered in OECD countries. Finally, this book evaluates the effectiveness of financial education programmes and introduces the OECD Council Recommendation on Principals and Good Practices for Financial Education and Awareness.

This report examines how to promote sustainable infrastructure investment. It discusses data needs for infrastructure investment and the current environment, social and governance (ESG) approaches before offering policy recommendations to help ensure that investors are better equipped to make investment decisions related to infrastructure assets. The report explores legal and regulatory barriers to quality infrastructure investment, and considers how governments can help infrastructure actors promote quality infrastructure projects, ensure project objectives and reporting correspond with investor expectations, and how to mobilise funding and financing for inclusive and quality infrastructure investment in both regions and cities.

This report provides an overview of the impacts of climate change on infrastructure , and key policy areas to be considered to render infrastructure more resilient. It discusses advances and persisting gaps in planning and developing infrastructure across its lifecycle to build in climate resilience and how this can be fostered by place-based approach. The report explores how climate risk awareness and understanding can be strengthened and become a norm for all financing and investment decisions, through standards and financial instruments that integrate climate adaptation and resilience. It includes a spotlight on nature-based solutions and offers insights on how nature can be harnessed as a cost-effective measure to build climate resilience. The report also recognises the specific needs of developing countries as requiring global attention for economic development and through strengthened international partnerships and support. Key policy insights are provided and advocate for national and subnational policy-makers to adopt a multi-level governance approach to resilience, working with infrastructure owners and operators to support decision-making.

This report examines innovative mechanisms that can help attract new financial resources into water and sanitation services. In particular, it focuses on mobilising market-based repayable financing (such as loans, bonds and equity) as a way of bridging the financial gap to meet the water-related Millennium Development Goals and other crucial sector objectives. The Camdessus and Gurría reports, published seven and four years ago, respectively, formulated a number of recommendations in this area. This report examines the extent to which these recommendations have been implemented. It looks at the rapidly evolving global context and to the ongoing financial and economic crisis, and considers how innovation in financing for the water sector may need to adapt.

The global push for more sustainable and less-carbon intensive economic models has increased the salience of Kazakhstan’s long-standing diversification agenda. That this agenda remains only partially fulfilled reflects a number of issues that affect the conditions for investment, innovation and entrepreneurship. Elaborating on feedback garnered through a small, focussed survey of foreign firms in Kazakhstan, this report provides new insights into private-sector perceptions of the ongoing reform process and in doing so draws attention to some of the most pressing issues facing policymakers and business.

Addressing barriers to private-sector development has been a long-standing ambition of the government of Uzbekistan, with an extensive programme of reforms that began in 2017 redoubling efforts to foster the growth of a more competitive and productive population of private-sector firms. Uzbekistan needs a more dynamic and innovative private sector if it is to meet the challenges and seize the opportunities of the green and digital transitions, which create a new impetus for accelerating these reforms. Elaborating on feedback garnered through a small, focussed survey of foreign firms in Uzbekistan, this report provides new insights into their perceptions of the ongoing reform process and in doing so draws attention to some of the most pressing issues facing policymakers and business.

The 1997-1998 Asian financial crisis exposed serious deficiencies in the insolvency systems of many countries. In response, many governments have undertaken sweeping reforms to strengthen their insolvency systems and rebuild their economies, including promulgating new laws, introducing new procedures to facilitate restructuring, strengthening courts and related institutions, and recapitalising financial institutions. This volume brings together a comparative report and studies of the insolvency systems of Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. These papers examine, among other things, the extent to which each country was affected by the financial crisis, the effectiveness and efficiency of formal and informal insolvency procedures, recent initiatives undertaken, and areas in need of further reforms. In addition, this publication includes an introductory note summarising the findings and conclusions from the November 1999 conference on "Insolvency Systems in Asia: An Efficiency Perspective".

Institutional investors (insurance companies, investment companies and pension funds) are major collectors of savings and suppliers of funds to financial markets. The role of institutional investors as financial intermediaries and their impact on investment strategies has grown significantly over recent years along with deregulation and globalisation of financial markets. This publication provides a unique set of comprehensive statistics on institutional saving and investment in the OECD area.

Institutional investors (insurance companies, investment companies and pension funds) are major collectors of savings and suppliers of funds to financial markets. The role of institutional investors as financial intermediaries and their impact on investment strategies has grown significantly over recent years along with deregulation and globalisation of financial markets. This publication provides a unique set of comprehensive statistics on institutional saving and investment in the OECD area and updates the statistics published in 1998 under the same title.