Browse by: "2006"

Drawing on material presented at the OECD Programme on Educational Building's conference in London on "Creating 21st Century Learning Environments," this richly illustrated book presents the latest in innovative design for schools and analyses needs for the future.  It does this through a series of thematic analyses, presentations, and school visits. The conclusions summarize planning and construction issues and make suggestions for the construction industry.

This study analyses a range of advanced nuclear fuel cycle options from the perspective of their effect on radioactive waste management policies. It presents various fuel cycle options which illustrate differences between alternative technologies, but does not purport to cover all foreseeable future fuel cycles. The analysis extends the work carried out in previous studies, assesses the fuel cycles as a whole, including all radioactive waste generated at each step of the cycles, and covers high-level waste repository performance for the different fuel cycles considered.

This fact-filled reference book brings the reader the latest available economic information for most of the economies of Africa.  Drawing on the expertise of both the African Development Bank and the OECD, it opens with an overview that examines the international environment, macroeconomic performance, progress towards attaining the Millennium Development Goals, and governance and political issues.  This edition includes a special section on transport infrastructure issues.  The second part provides individual country reports for 30 countries.  Each country report provides an assessment of recent economic performance, projections for 2006 and 2007, an examination of structural issues, and a discussion of the political and social context.  The statistical annex presents 23 tables comparing economic and social variables across all the countries of Africa.

This report, part of a series covering around 21 OECD countries, contains a survey of Ireland's main barriers to employment for older workers, an assessment of the adequacy and effectiveness of existing measures to overcome these barriers, and a set of policy recommendations to further action by public authorities and social partners. These recommendations are designed to alleviate some of the pension and health care pressures governments are facing because of ageing populations.

Published in alternating years with Agricultural Policies in OECD Countries: Monitoring and Evaluation, this book is a unique source of up-to-date estimates of support to agriculture. It provides a comprehensive description and evaluation of agricultural support developments in OECD member countries available and a summary of agricultural policy developments in Brazil, China and South Africa.  It also includes StatLinks, URLs linking statistical tables in the text with spreadsheet files available via the internet.

Widespread agricultural policy reform would undoubtedly improve global economic welfare but would also produce a complex pattern of economic winners and losers. Using a combination of global, national and household level analysis, this study examines such distributional implications focusing especially on differences in policy effects among countries and between different sectoral and household constituencies within countries.  Case study summaries are included for Brazil, Italy, Malawi, Mexico, and the United States.

This report analyses the effects of Mexico’s ambitious reforms to agricultural and fisheries policies since 1990 and makes recommendations for further reforms. The evaluation is based on criteria for good agricultural and fisheries policy as agreed to by OECD countries. Such criteria, if implemented, would support economically healthy sectors that contribute to the wider economy, respect natural resources and use inputs effectively without resorting to distorting subsidies.

This book sets out how much aid OECD countries are already providing towards trade-related activities in developing countries and reviews the effectiveness of existing programmes. It argues that reinforcing mutual accountability at the local level, together with a global review mechanism, would enhance the impact of Aid for Trade.

At the request of the Angolan government in 2005, the IEA conducted a survey of the Angolan energy sector and energy policies. This resulting report on Angola focuses on areas for priority action and hones in on energy subsectors likely to play the largest role in meeting domestic demand for modern energy services: notably electricity and oil products. As biomass currently plays an immense role in meeting the bulk of the energy needs of Angolan households, this sub-sector is also featured, with emphasis on improving the sustainability of this renewable energy source. This study offers a realistic update on Angola’s present day energy situation and identifies the main priorities which could form the basis of an effective overall energy strategy.  It also provides lessons that could be applicable in many other developing countries.

The OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises are recommendations to international business for conduct in such areas as labour, environment, consumer protection and the fight against corruption.  The recommendations are made by the adhering governments and, although not binding, governments are committed to promoting their observance.  This Annual Report provides an account of the actions the 39 adhering governments have taken over the 12 months to June 2006 to enhance the contribution of the Guidelines to the improved functioning of the global economy. One highlight of this reporting period was the completion of guidance for companies operating in weak governance zones.  This Tool aims to help companies that invest in countries where governments are unable or unwilling to take up their responsibilities by offering considerations in such areas as obeying the law and observing international instruments; political activities; knowing clients and business partners; and speaking out about wrongdoing.

Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is one of the main tools available to achieve integration of the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programmes.  This Guidance volume explains the benefits of using SEA in development co-operation and sets out key steps for its application based on recent experiences. Twelve different entry points are identified for the practical application of SEA in development co-operation. For each entry point, the text provides a guidance note: a checklist of questions and hands-on case studies. Evaluation and capacity development for SEA processes are also addressed.

Assessing Scientific, Reading and Mathematical Literacy: A Framework for PISA 2006 presents the conceptual framework underlying the PISA 2006 survey. It includes a re-developed and expanded framework for scientific literacy, an innovative component on the assessment of students’ attitudes to science and the frameworks for the assessment of reading and mathematics. Within each domain, the framework defines the content that students need to acquire, the processes that need to be performed, and the contexts in which knowledge and skills are applied. The domains and their aspects are also illustrated with sample tasks.

Cet ouvrage fournit des commentaires et des illustrations en vue de faciliter l'interprétation commune de la norme en vigueur pour le calibrage des haricots dans le cadre des activités du Régime pour l'Application de Normes Internationales aux Fruits et Légumes, créé en 1962 par l'OCDE. Il constitue donc un outil précieux tant pour les services de contrôle que pour les milieux professionnels responsables de l'application des normes ou s'intéressant au commerce international des haricots.

An important factor for public confidence in the nuclear regulator is the general public trust of the government and its representatives, which is clearly not the same in all countries. These workshop proceedings identify a number of common principles for the communication of nuclear regulatory decisions that can be recommended to all regulators. They have been cited in particular for their ability to help build, measure and/or improve overall public confidence in the nuclear regulator. 

Cette publication présente l’évolution des émissions de CO2 de plus de 140 pays et régions, par secteur d’activité et par combustible, pour la période de 1971 à 2004. Les émissions calculées se fondent sur les bases de données de l’AIE ainsi que sur les méthodes et les facteurs d’émission définies dans les Lignes directrices du GIEC pour les inventaires nationaux de gaz à effet de serre - Version révisée 1996.

Ce volume fournit des informations quantitatives sur les titres d’emprunt d’État pour les 30 pays membres de l'OCDE en vue de répondre aux besoins analytiques des utilisateurs tels que les pouvoirs publics, les spécialistes de la gestion de la dette et les analystes de marché.  Les statistiques sont présentées selon un plan d’ensemble normalisé pour permettre une comparaison entre les différents pays. Les notes par pays donnent des informations sur les émissions de titres d’emprunt dans chacun des pays, ainsi que sur le cadre institutionnel et réglementaire dans lequel s’inscrivent la politique de gestion de la dette et les techniques de vente.

The study draws extensively on Chinese government and other sources to provide a detailed and up-to-date picture of the current state of China's public expenditure policies, the main reforms that are being undertaken, and the problems that remain to be resolved. Topics covered: key characteristics of China's budget and recent trends; the allocation of spending; the uneven pattern of fiscal decentralisation; gaps between expenditure needs and fiscal resources for local governments and their consequences.

In 2005, China added the equivalent of all the power plants in Norway and Sweden to its electricity generating capacity - and its remarkable demand growth shows no sign of abating. But how can the government best assure affordable and environmentally sustainable electricity supply in the future? Assessing the current state of electricity regulation in China, this report draws on experience elsewhere to explore how better to develop and communicate strategy, how to moderate growth in demand through increased efficiency, how to integrate environmental goals into planning and operation, how to ensure sufficient supply when and where it is needed, and how to handle institutional and governance challenges.