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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.

Many countries around the world have introduced systems of asset declarations for public officials in order to prevent corruption. These systems vary greatly from country to country. The impact of such systems on the actual level of corruption is not well known.

This study provides a systematic analysis of the existing practice in the area of asset declarations in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and in some OECD member states in Western Europe and North America. It examines the key elements of asset declaration systems, such as policy objectives, legal frameworks and the institutional arrangements; the categories of public officials who are required to submit declarations, and types of required information; procedures for verifying declared information, sanctions for violations, and public disclosure. The study also discusses the cost-effectiveness and overall usefulness of declaration systems. It includes four case studies covering Lithuania, Romania, Spain and Ukraine, and many additional country examples and references.

The study presents policy recommendations on the key elements of asset declaration systems. These recommendations will be useful for national governments and international organisations engaged in development, reform and assessment of asset declarations systems on a country level.

Attractiveness for investment in innovation is high on the policy agenda in many countries as innovation is a key factor of growth and competitiveness in OECD countries. Virtually all governments are keen to attract international investment by multinational enterprises (MNEs) as a means to promote growth and employment, create new jobs and bring in new technologies.

While all countries and regions have some policy measures in place that are aimed at increasing their attractiveness for innovation, it is less clear if these policies are effective.

This report analyses the current trends in international investment in innovation and the attractiveness policies already implemented. These are often based on the more traditional instruments for attracting international investment. The book also explores in more detail the role of investment incentives that governments tend to give to international investors: their rationale, their impact and their usefulness.

The evidence presented in this report raises clear policy issues and questions existing policies. A number of policy principles are formulated to guide policy makers.

This tenth edition of the African Economic Outlook finds the continent on the rebound and expects it growth performance in the next years to resume at pre-crisis levels. The focus of the 2010 AEO is Africa's Emerging Economic Partnerships, presenting a comprehensive review of Africa's expanding economic relations with outside the continent that until very recently did not belong to the club of traditional “donors”, the OECD Development Assistance Committee. Africa benefits not only from the visible direct interactions with large emerging countries – investment, trade, aid – but also from the macroeconomic, political and strategic advantages that their rise has produced. As always, country chapters provide detailed information on a country-by-country basis and the statistical annex provides a wide variety of indicators for the countries covered.  This year, the AEA covers all African countries except Eritriea and Somalia.

Full-length country notes and report are available on www.africaneconomicoutlook.org

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.

Many socio-economically disadvantaged students excel in PISA. Students who succeed at school despite a disadvantaged background -- resilient students -- are the focus of Against the Odds. The report shows that overcoming barriers to achievement is possible, and provides students, parents, policy makers and other education stakeholders insights into what enables socio-economically disadvantaged students to fulfil their potential. Resilient students are characterised by positive approaches to learning, for example, having more interest in science or having more self-confidence. The evidence in PISA shows that positive approaches to learning tend to boost the performance of advantaged students more than that of disadvantaged ones. From an equity perspective, therefore, policies aimed at fostering positive approaches to learning ought to target disadvantaged students more than others.

This joint OECD-WTO publication provides a comprehensive analysis of trends and developments in aid that aims to help developing countries integrate into the global economy and benefit from trade opportunities. Over 260 case stories and 140 self-assessments by partner countries, bilateral and multilateral donor agencies, providers of South-South co-operation, and regional economic communities provide the basis for this analysis, coupled with OECD aid data and findings from evaluations and econometric studies.

The picture is positive: aid for trade is bettering the lives of many men and women in developing countries. The case stories paint an encouraging picture of the wide variety of trade-related activities in a large number of developing countries that are being supported by a range of donors. Increasingly, aid for trade is being integrated in broader development strategies, with objectives focusing on competitiveness, economic growth and poverty reduction. Donors are harmonising their procedures and aligning their support around these strategies. Aid-for-trade flows continue to grow and reached USD 40 billion in 2009 – an increase of 60% since 2005.
 
Developing countries and donors must continue their efforts to improve the effectiveness and the results of aid for trade. Although progress has been made in joint monitoring and evaluation, strengthening mutual accountability and managing aid to achieve trade results remain challenging. A joint, streamlined approach to measuring progress towards developing countries’ trade related targets will reinforce country ownership – a critical factor in ensuring that aid for trade enhances trade capacity and promotes economic growth and development.

Many countries have introduced systems of asset declarations for public officials in order to prevent corruption. These systems vary greatly from country to country and their impact on mitigating corruption is not well known.

This study provides a systematic analysis of existing practices in asset declaration in Eastern Europe and Central Asia and in some OECD countries in Western Europe and North America. It examines (1) the key elements of asset declaration systems, such as policy objectives, legal frameworks and institutional arrangements; (2) the categories of public officials who are required to submit declarations, and the types of information required; and (3) procedures for verifying information declared, sanctions for violations, and public disclosure. The study also discusses the cost-effectiveness and overall usefulness of declaration systems. It includes case studies of Lithuania, Romania, Spain and Ukraine, and a large number of additional country examples and references.

The study presents policy recommendations on the key elements of asset declaration systems. These recommendations will be useful for national governments and international organisations engaged in development, reform and assessment of asset declarations systems at country level.

For the first time, the Monitoring and Evaluation report of agricultural policies covers OECD member countries (including the new members who joined during 2010 – Chile, Estonia, Israel and Slovenia) and selected key emerging economies: Brazil, China, Russia, South Africa and Ukraine.

This edition shows that, after an increase in 2009, producer support in the OECD area declined in 2010, confirming the downward trend in support to farmers. The trend in emerging economies shows some increase in the level of support, although it stays well below the OECD average.

This report is a unique source of up-to-date estimates of support to agriculture and is complemented by individual chapters on agricultural policy developments in all countries covered in the report.

A System of Health Accounts 2011 provides a systematic description of the financial flows related to the consumption of health care goods and services. As demands for information increase and more countries implement and institutionalise health accounts according to the system, the data produced are expected to be more comparable, more detailed and more policy relevant.

This new edition builds on the original OECD Manual, published in 2000, and the Guide to Producing National Health Accounts to create a single global framework for producing health expenditure accounts that can help track resource flows from sources to uses. The Manual is the result of a four-year collaborative effort between the OECD, WHO and the European Commission, and sets out in more detail the boundaries, the definitions and the concepts – responding to health care systems around the globe – from the simplest to the more complicated.

This report enhances the transparency, accountability and public visibility of the Guidelines for MNEs, one of the OECD's most successful instruments, and more particularly the major improvements brought about by the 2011 Update, and highlights the outcome of the 2011 Corporate Responsibility Roundtable, a multi-stakholder brainstorming on the launch of the work of the updated Guidelines.

The report provides a first assessment of  the outcome of the 2011 Update of the Guidelines adopted at the OECD Ministerial Meeting and a compilation of ideas for future implementation. It also reports the actions taken by the 42  adhering governments from June 2010 to June 2011.

For the most part, the findings are clear: while many donors and partner country governments have made significant progress towards the targets that they set themselves for 2010, few of them have been met. Partner country authorities appear to have gone further in implementing their commitments under the Paris Declaration than donors, though efforts – and progress – also vary significantly across countries and donor organisations.

As the international community takes stock of what has been achieved on the occasion of the Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in Busan, Korea (29 November to 1 December 2011), this report sets out evidence of progress and challenges in making aid more effective. This evidence should help forge a consensus beyond Busan that aid – and its effectiveness –represents only one element of a broader landscape of development finance and joint efforts to make aid more effective can and should inform a broader development effectiveness agenda.    

O Objetivo 7 de Desenvolvimento do Milénio apela à garantia da sustentabilidade ambiental ao integrar os princípios de desenvolvimento sustentável nas políticas e programas nacionais. A Avaliação Ambiental Estratégica (AAE) é uma das principais ferramentas disponíveis para alcançar esta integração. A Declaração de Paris sobre a Eficácia da Ajuda, acordada entre mais de cem doadores e países em desenvolvimento em março de 2005, compromete os doadores e países parceiros a conjuntamente “desenvolverem e aplicarem abordagens comuns de Avaliação Ambiental Estratégica aos níveis setorial e nacional”.

O presente guia de boas práticas explica os benefícios da utilização da AAE na cooperação para o desenvolvimento e apresenta os passos fundamentais para a sua aplicação, com base em experiências recentes. São identificados doze pontos de entrada diferentes para a aplicação prática da AAE à cooperação para o desenvolvimento. Para cada um dos pontos de entrada, é fornecida uma nota de orientação com uma checklist de perguntas e de casos-estudo práticos. São igualmente abordados a avaliação e o desenvolvimento de capacidades no processo de AAE.

Apesar de a publicação se dirigir em primeiro lugar aos profissionais a trabalhar nas agências de desenvolvimento e nos governos dos países em desenvolvimento, a mesma será igualmente útil a outros analistas políticos e planeadores.

Inclui um prefácio redigido por Rt. Hon. Hilary Benn MP, Secretária de Estado para o Desenvolvimento Internacional, RU, Kemal Devis, Administrador, PNUD, e Richard Manning, Presidente do Comité de Ajuda ao Desenvolvimento da OCDE.

A Equipa de Trabalho de Avaliação Ambiental Estratégica, do CAD da OCDE, que preparou este guia, recebeu em 2006 o Prémio Institucional da Associação Internacional para a Avaliação de Impactos (AIAI).

Com o apoio financeiro do Instituto Português de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento (IPAD).

O texto integral desta obra encontra-se disponível online através do seguinte link:
http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org

This 11th edition of the African Economic Outlook reviews recent economic, social and political developments and the short-term likely evolutions of 53 African countries. This year’s edition will for the first time cover Eritrea and South Sudan. The focus of the 2012 AEO is the promotion of youth employment in Africa, presenting a comprehensive review of both challenges and opportunities Africa faces in providing its young population with sufficient and decent jobs.

Full-length country notes are available on www.africaneconomicoutlook.org

 

In order to provide experts with a forum to present and discuss developments in the field of partitioning and transmutation (P&T), the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) has been organising, since 1990, a series of biennial information exchange meetings on actinide and fission product P&T. These proceedings contain all the technical papers presented at the 11th Information Exchange Meeting, which was held on 1-4 November 2010 in San Francisco, California, USA. The meeting covered national programmes on P&T; fuel cycle strategies and transition scenarios; waste forms and geological disposal; transmutation fuels and targets; pyro and aqueous processes; transmutation physics and materials; and transmutation system design, performance and safety.