Browse by: "PRE-2015"

This report addresses an issue which arises in virtually every public utility industry – the regulation of access to essential facilities. The regulation of the terms and conditions under which competing firms have access to essential inputs provided by rivals has become the single biggest issue facing regulators of public utility industries. Development of competition and the success of liberalisation often depend on the access terms and conditions chosen, and public policy interest in getting these terms and conditions right is important.

Prepared by the OECD’s Competition Committee, this report focuses on the telecommunications industry and seeks to deepen the understanding of access regulation. Access issues are not easy issues for regulators and competition policy-makers - they can be both difficult technically and the source of noisy disputes in practice. By bringing together theory and practice, this report seeks to help regulators and policy-makers learn from OECD experience to achieve efficient and competitive outcomes.

The ability of citizens to demand accountability and more open government is fundamental to good governance. There is growing recognition of the need for new approaches to the ways in which donors support accountability, but no broad agreement on what changed practice looks like. This publication aims to provide more clarity on the emerging practice. Based on four country studies Mali, Mozambique, Peru and Uganda, a survey of donor innovations and cutting-edge analysis in this field, and the findings of a series of special high-level international dialogues on how to best support accountability support to parliaments, political parties, elections and the media. The publication takes the view that a wholesale shift in behaviour is required by parts of the development assistance community - moving outside conventional comfort zones and changing reflexes towards new approaches to risk taking, analysis and programming around systems of accountability and ‘do no harm’ efforts in political engagement.

This piece is aimed at a range of development practitioners, as well as a wider audience, including civil society actors and citizens around the world who interact with donors working on accountability support.

Using this Guide will facilitate the practical implementation of the OECD Guidelines on Corporate Governance of State-Owned Enterprises in the areas of transparency and accountability. It provides viable policy options and a step-by-step road map on how to address typical difficulties, risks and hurdles that may be encountered. It also provides concrete examples of good practices that can serve as a reference and inspiration. The Guide will help governments, their ownership entities and other stakeholders to evaluate existing practices and support reforms.

In most countries, improving transparency and accountability in state-owned enterprises entails a number of complex challenges. Addressing these, with the help of this Guide, is an important step in the process of establishing well-governed and economically sound state-owned enterprises

Now more than ever, administrative simplification is a priority in countries seeking to improve public governance and regulatory quality in order to boost competition and growth. To date, Poland has adopted a complex administrative simplification programme, based on methods successfully used in other OECD countries. It has two main streams: one focused on simplifying licences and permits, the other on measuring and reducing regulatory burdens. This report reviews the programme with the aim of helping Poland to make it and its implementation more efficient. 

The report shows that although many important elements of regulatory policy are now formally in place in Poland, in practice, there is still an implementation gap. The OECD recommends that Poland re-launches its programme by:  

·         Setting new, realistic targets and timelines

·         Developing action plans for individual ministries

·         Creating efficient co-ordination structures and reporting mechanisms

·         Improving continuous stakeholders involvement 

Poland should also strengthen its regulatory impact assessment system by improving quality control, strengthening capacities, and possibilities for public control. Consultations throughout the whole process of making legislation should also be improved.

Administrative simplification in Viet Nam has reached a defining moment. In 2007, the government launched  “Project 30”, the goal of which was to reduce administrative procedures by 30% as part of ambitious reforms to modernise the public service and simplify the regulatory environment for businesses. These reforms support the development of infrastructure, increased productivity, greater foreign direct investment and a high rate of growth. Administrative simplification efforts, once fully implemented, will enhance regulatory quality and stimulate competitiveness and equitable growth. It was within this context that Viet Nam invited OECD to evaluate achievements so far and suggest future directions, including options for a ten-year programme for regulatory reform grounded in international best practice.  

This report details Project 30 and related initiatives. Using international comparisons and incorporating experience from similar reforms in other countries, it explores how Viet Nam can rapidly bring about the full potential of Project 30 and introduce a complete range of regulatory reform instruments in the near future. The lessons learnt from the management of a major administrative simplification initiative in Viet Nam will be useful to other countries seeking to improve their regulatory framework and to reduce administrative burdens, especially in the developing world and in transition countries. 

This report is published in English; a French translation of the executive summary has been included in this volume.

This publication provides comprehensive and consistent information on African central government debt statistics for the period 2003-2009. Detailed quantitative information on central government debt instruments is provided for 17 countries to meet the requirements of debt managers, other financial policy makers, and market analysts. Country policy notes provide background information on debt issuance as well as on the institutional and regulatory framework governing debt management policy.

Countries covered: Angola, Cameroon, Gabon, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda and Zambia.

The focus of this greatly improved third edition is to provide comprehensive quantitative information on African central government debt instruments, both marketable debt and non-marketable debt.

The coverage of data is limited to central government debt issuance as well as bi-lateral, multi-lateral and concessional debt and excludes therefore state and local government debt and social security funds.

This landmark study of the material well-being of older people in nine OECD countries -- Canada, Finland, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States -- uses a wealth of new data to shed light on the challenges that face policy-makers as they anticipate the coming retirement of the baby-boom generation. The findings are often surprising.

In all the countries surveyed, policies have been fundamentally successful: older people at all income levels tend to maintain or even increase their material standards of living once they stop working. This happens despite large differences in approaches to public policy, including the size of public pensions. The systems that provide resources to older people are considerably more complex than is usually taken into account in policy-making, and the effects of policy, while large, are less direct than often thought.

Demography and changing labour market patterns make reforms to these systems imperative. The challenge is to make needed changes without undermining past success. This is difficult, but entirely possible; the payoffs from relatively small changes in the balance between work and retirement could be particularly large.

The study examines the many diverse ways in which the nine countries are tackling this challenge and the lessons that have been learned from their experiences. It provides invaluable evidence for policy-makers, researchers and citizens concerned about the challenges posed for societies by ageing populations.

The Guidelines are recommendations by governments covering all major areas of business ethics, including corporate steps to obey the law, observe internationally-recognised standards and respond to other societal expectations. This report describes the actions taken by the adhering governments to implement the Guidelines. 

 

The OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises are recommendations for international business conduct in such areas as labour, environment, consumer protection and the fight against corruption. The recommendations are made by the adhering governments and, although they are not binding, governments are committed to promoting their observance.

This book provides the complete text of the Guidelines along with an account of what the 38 adhering governments have been doing to enhance the contribution of the Guidelines to the improved functioning of the global economy. The 2004 edition also provides an overview of how to encourage the positive contribution of business to the environment through the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.

The OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises are recommendations for international business conduct in such areas as labour, environment, consumer protection and the fight against corruption. The recommendations are made by the adhering governments and, although they are not binding, governments are committed to promoting their observance.

This book provides the complete text of the Guidelines along with an account of what the 38 adhering governments have been doing to enhance the contribution of the Guidelines to the improved functioning of the global economy. The 2005 edition also provides an overview of corporate responsibility in the developing world.

The Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises are recommendations to international businesses on conduct in such areas as labour, the environment, consumer protection and the fight against corruption. The recommendations are made by the adhering governments and, although they are not binding, governments are committed to promoting their observance. Part I of this Annual Report provides an account of the actions the 41 adhering governments have taken over the 12 months to June 2008 to enhance the contribution of the Guidelines to the improved functioning of the global economy. Part II of this Annual Report highlights key findings of the High-Level OECD-ILO Conference on Corporate Social Responsibility.

Did you know? As of June 2008, 104,000 Web sites referred to the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, compared with 25,000 five years earlier.