Browse by: "C"

This book discusses the often diverging risks and opportunities associated with genetically engineered organisms in terms of the environment, food safety, and economics and trade. These issues were raised at the OECD Workshop on Challenges and Risks of GMOs - What Risk Analysis is Appropriate? Options for Future Policy Making Towards Integrated Agro-Food Systems, held in Maastricht, Netherlands, in July 2003.  Discussions also covered the relevant WTO Agreements and their relationship with other multilateral accords as well as  regional and national approaches.

At a moment when many countries of the MENA region are looking to accelerate economic growth and build more stable, open societies, this report argues that greater women’s economic empowerment holds one of the keys. It asserts that despite challenges some countries are facing in guaranteeing women equal access to economic opportunity, progress is underway and can be further nurtured through targeted, inclusive and coordinated policy actions. Building on the conclusions of a first monitoring report released in 2017, the report analyses recent legislative, policy and institutional reforms in support of women’s economic empowerment in Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia and seeks to identify success factors that have helped anchor reform. Moreover, it delivers actionable examples and practical tools for policy makers to help them transform policies into effective actions for women’s economic empowerment.

Chinese decision-makers are grappling with policy choices that will optimise the gains from China’s integration into the international trading system in harmony with social, regional and sustainable development goals. Trade liberalisation can significantly enhance the reform process underway and bring great benefits to China. But the agricultural sector faces the greatest challenges and potential hardships of any economic sector from this process. Significant domestic policy reform and structural adjustment will be critical to enable China to realise its comparative advantage in agriculture and to redeploy an estimated 150 million redundant farmers. To sharpen understanding of the policy options, the OECD invited Chinese and international experts to reflect together upon the likely impacts of freer trade on China’s agricultural sector. Based on the results of China’s WTO negotiations with key trading partners, they assessed the compatibility of China’s WTO commitments with domestic policies and the need for specific changes. They analysed the effects of likely policy changes on cereal, oilseeds and livestock markets in China and OECD countries. And they examined the implications of China’s WTO accession on rural enterprises, regional development and the domestic and international political economy. These proceedings offer the reader the fruits of timely analytical and strategic thinking and joint reflection on some of the most important agricultural policy issues for China and the world.

Undertaken jointly with United Nations Environment Programme, the report analyses policies and issues related to climate change adaptation and mitigation in the tourism sector. It provides policy recommendations, with the objective to identify priority areas to be included in a framework for action in the area of climate change and tourism.  A review of the state of policy-making on this important issue clearly indicates that greater efforts could be made by countries to understand the likely impacts of climate change on tourism; there is a low awareness of the tourism sector's climate change mitigation and adaptation needs; and that current policy, with few exceptions, is inadequate to the scale of the challenge, both on mitigation and adaptation.

Cutting red tape to improve business conditions has become a priority in OECD countries. This pilot study measures and compares administrative burdens in the transport sector across eleven member countries: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden and Turkey. The aim of the exercise is twofold: to identify good practices and provide input for national simplification strategies, and to develop and test a method for cross-country comparison. This report is published in English only. However, a French translation of the executive summary has been included in this volume.

The Review of Competition Law and Policy in Chile was prepared as part of the process of Chile’s accession to OECD Membership. The report describes the policy foundations, substantive competition law and enforcement experience, institutional structure as well as treatment of competition issues in regulatory and legislative processes. The review then examines these findings under three assessment themes: the current situation of competition policy and enforcement; the magnitude and direction of change in competition policy over the last 5-10 years; the extent of conformity with the particular OECD competition recommendations.

The Review of Competition Law and Policy in Israel was prepared as part of the process of Israel's accession to OECD Membership. The report describes the policy foundations, substantive competition law and enforcement experience, institutional structure as well as treatment of competition issues in regulatory and legislative processes. The review then examines these findings under three assessment themes: the current situation of competition policy and enforcement; the magnitude and direction of change in competition policy over the last 5-10 years; the extent of conformity with the particular OECD competition recommendations.

Most OECD countries, and many countries outside the OECD, are now deeply engaged in a reform of their electricity markets to stimulate competition and improve efficiency. This book considers the key elements of effective reform based on a review of experiences to date. A converging trend emerges, that emphasises competition in the generation, supply and trade of electricity, aimed at maximising consumer choice. It also highlights the development of new approaches to regulation of the transmission system, which remains monopolistic. This book is an invaluable guide and reference for energy policy makers. It examines the many issues and functions that define a modern, liberalised electricity supply industry, and the challenges posed by regulatory reform. It updates the 1999 IEA publication “Electricity Market Reform - an IEA Handbook”, and is the latest in a series of IEA publications on energy market reforms.

The growing importance of state-owned enterprises (SOE) in the global marketplace has given rise to concerns about how to ensure competitive neutrality – a level playing field – where public and private entities compete. The book aims to serve as a resource for governments that intend to ensure that public and private businesses compete on equal terms.  It provides a catalogue of relevant practices and experiences in OECD and other jurisdictions. The publication is structured around eight “building blocks” of competitive neutrality including how to ensure debt, tax or regulatory neutrality; calculating market consistent rates-of-return; transparent accounting for public service obligations; and competitive procurement. It also provides practical experience on how to coin a policy commitment to competitive neutrality and tradeoffs of different approaches. The book provides insights on fundamental questions concerning the role of the State in the marketplace and on the need to balance commercial interests with the sometimes important public policy functions vested in SOEs.

In today’s globalising world, the regional specialisations built up over decades are transforming rapidly. Many regions that were historically production centres in a given sector are losing out to lower-cost locations and reorienting to higher value-added niches.  National programmes to promote cluster-based approaches -- linking firms, people and knowledge at a regional level -- are being used to meet the challenge. This report analyses the objectives, targeting, instruments and inter-governmental role sharing used by 26 programmes in 14 OECD countries. It will be of interest to policy makers, researchers, firms and others active in promoting innovation and competitiveness.

With a total population of over 75 million people and a strategic location between wealthy trading partners, with Russia to the east and a vast market of EU citizens to the west, the Eastern Europe and South Caucasus (EESC) region is attractive as a destination for investment and trade. It is endowed with significant human and resources ranging from the black soil in Ukraine that produces some of the best wheat in the world, to energy reserves in Azerbaijan and unexplored water resources in several countries. However, in spite of recent growth – an average of almost 8% of GDP during 1998-2008 – the region’s productivity levels remain 77% below the world average. The OECD Eastern Europe and South Caucasus Competitiveness Outlook examines the key policies that would increase competitiveness in the countries of the region through developing human capital, improving access to finance for SMEs and creating more and better investment opportunities.

This report reviews the micro, small and medium-sized business sector in the Republic of Moldova, as well as governmental policies related to small and medium-sized enterprises, particularly regarding financing and innovation. 

This review of competitiveness and private sector development in the Ukraine  provides a solid base for policy analysis and gives recommendations with immediate relevance and applicability. It includes diagnosis and policy actions for policy makers and advisors, offering policy responses to underpin economic diversification, enhanced competitiveness and private sector development. Finally, the book applies an innovative framework to identify barriers that hinder the development of selected sectors. It offers the design and suggests ways to implement specific policies to remove those barriers, including the selection and business analysis of Ukraine's most attractive sectors in terms of competitiveness and FDI appeal.  

Corporate scandals and failures as well as broader economic concerns have driven OECD countries to devote increased attention to corporate governance which is now recognised as a vital factor in economic growth and financial stability. This survey examines the systemic issues at the forefront of the corporate governance debate and discusses how OECD countries have responded. It offers a rich variety of experiences that other countries may wish to draw on when considering their policy options.

This review of corporate governance in Chile describes the corporate governance setting including the structure and ownership concentration of listed companies and the structure and operation of the state-owned sector. It then examines the legal and regulatory framework and company practices to assess the degree to which the recommendations of the OECD Principles of Corporate Governance and the OECD Guidelines on Corporate Governance of State-Owned Enterprises have been implemented.