OECD Observer
OECD Online Bookshop
OECD Online Bookshop
OECD in Chinese
OECD in Chinese
Your views welcome!!!
Your views welcome!!!
Hot issues » General
  • Information society: Which way now?

    The future will be inherently knowledge-based. Are we moving in the right direction? What must we know to be able to get there? Understanding knowledge-based capital is an important first step.

    (686 words)
  • ©REUTERS/Amr Dalsh

    News that’s fit to post

    The media is changing, but must assume a leading role in the unfolding narrative of the information world. That includes building trust and involving new voices in the discussion.

    (909 words)
  • A calm look at social unrest

    In a globalised world, social unrest occurring far away can have transnational ramifications, with effects nearer to home. This has been evident in recent years with movements such as Occupy and Indignados, and the Arab Spring. Unrest could also be the consequence of a terrorist attack, but even the threat of one can lead to widespread panic. The upshot can be disorder and economic turmoil.

    (346 words)
  • Still booming

    The Internet is much more than a multi-billion dollar industry. The world’s economy now depends on this global “cloud”, which was once little more than a means of connecting different computers over a phone network. Today, the digital age has vast new potential to serve as a force of progress in the global economy, but better, smarter public policies will be needed for that potential to become reality.

    (339 words)
  • Click to enlarge

    Study abroad

    More students are looking beyond their borders to give their education a competitive edge. 

    (245 words)
  • Click to enlarge

    Investment dries up

    The fallout from uncertainty that continues to undermine the global economy is reflected in international investment, which is falling once again, following two years of steady gains.

    (229 words)
  • Click to enlarge

    Click to enlarge

    The globalisation of higher education

    Higher education is growing rapidly, and becoming a veritable global sector in its own right. That means challenges for educators, students and policy makers. 

    (1275 words)
  • G20 and the crisis: Progress towards Mexico 2012

    The worst economic crisis in half a century still holds us in its grip. In fact, with a bleak short-term outlook, global public opinion could be forgiven for questioning the ability of political leaders and policymakers to find a way out.

    (705 words)
  • Africa’s emerging partnerships

    There are signs of a new, more confident and self-affirming Africa taking shape. As the 2011 edition of the African Economic Outlook argues, this newness is also evident in the continent’s relationships with emerging economies.

    (1376 words)
  • ©REUTERS/Kacper Pempel

    Development: New world, new economics

    In 2008, the Chinese economist Justin Yifu Lin became the first person from a developing country to be appointed World Bank Chief Economist.

    (1438 words)
  • Click to enlarge

    The growth of medical tourism

    The number of people travelling abroad to seek medical treatment appears to have been growing in recent years. This could be part of a growing global trend.

    (900 words)
  • Peace or prosperity

    Malthus is dead, but prosperity for all guarantees neither peace nor happiness. This is the key message emanating from Daniel Cohen’s acclaimed new book, La prospérité du vice: Une introduction (inquiète) à l’économie. This professor of the École Normale Superieure and deputy director of the Paris School of Economics looks back over four centuries and draws on the thinking of the great economists, historians and sociologists in order to bring us to this insight: prosperity alone guarantees neither peace nor happiness. Despite Cohen’s prevailingly pessimistic tone, his pedagogical talent makes this book an exciting and educational read.

    (683 words)
  • Click to order

    Buy local?

    On 27 May 1882, The Times newspaper proclaimed, "Today we have to record such a triumph over physical difficulties, as would have been incredible, even unimaginable, a very few years ago". They weren't talking about Queen Victoria avoiding a recent assassination attempt by a poet she'd annoyed or Jesse James having less luck with a friend he'd trusted. They were talking about sheep meat.

    (529 words)
  • ©Government of South Africa

    Banking on fair tax

    The financial crisis might not have been caused by taxation, but it nonetheless raises concerns about evasion, compliance and transparency in financial markets. The OECD Observer asked South Africa's minister of finance, Pravin Gordhan, who chairs the OECD's Forum on Tax Administration, to explain.

    (534 words)
  • Careful expansion

    OECD faces a huge challenge of image. You insist that the organisation, known for its in-depth analyses and reliable statistics, aims to represent all relevant economies. Emerging countries, however, cultivate the impression that the OECD, despite its co-operation and development efforts well beyond its membership, is still the voice of "rich nations" only.

    (115 words)
  • Innovation and globalisation

    Like Alice, the OECD appears to be bursting through to the other side of its looking glass. Change may be the order of the day, but as the organisation approaches 50, lessons from past work on innovation might speak to the current economic crisis.

    (1632 words)
  • Problems of scale

    Fisheries may be an ancient economic activity, but nowadays they are at the forefront of globalisation. First, there is the trade itself: a blue hake caught off the coast of New Zealand by a Japanese vessel may be processed in China before being flown to a market in London or Paris.

    (410 words)
  • ©Tobias Schwarz/Reuters in OECD Observer No. 264/265

    Heads together

    German Chancellor Angela Merkel hosts a special conference with heads of international organisations on “Fair Ground Rules for a Socially Equitable and Open Global Economy,” Berlin, 19 December 2007. To Ms Merkel’s right are Angel Gurría (OECD), Pascal Lamy (WTO) and Juan Somavia (ILO), and to her left are Germany’s labour minister, Olaf Scholz, Robert Zoellick (World Bank) and Dominique Strauss-Kahn (IMF).

    (68 words)
  • Beyond the ivory towers

    Centres of higher learning often exude a rarefied air. From the spires of Oxford to the lanes of Bologna, a remoteness from local communities and disdain for the commercial world are still a common characterisation, if not a tradition.

    (357 words)
  • Latin dragon

    Latin America is looking towards China and Asia–and China and Asia are looking right back. This is a major shift. For the first time in its history, Latin America can benefit from not one but three major engines of world growth.

    (317 words)
  • Balancing Globalisation - Seventh annual OECD Forum

    “You cannot find a bigger, more complex and all-encompassing subject than that of ‘Balancing globalisation’ ”, said moderator David Eades of BBC World in his opening remarks to the 2006 OECD Forum. There are no simple answers to the challenges it poses either. In a light-hearted observation, Mr Eades suggests a clue might be found in Douglas Adams’ novel, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, where the indecipherable answer to “Life, the Universe and Everything” was found to be the number 42.

    (485 words)
  • ©AFP/Eric Piermont

    A new narrative for world trade

    World trade is changing, and so too must the way policymakers approach it, says Pascal Lamy. We asked him to explain. 

    (832 words)
  • ©REUTERS/Scanpix Scanpix

    It’s all about people

    Ultimately the economic crisis is about people. That is why respecting human rights and adherence to democratic principles are fundamental when addressing the current economic crisis. We are in this together, so we need multilateral solutions more than ever.

    (966 words)
  • Globalisation and the resilience of a city

    Globalisation has always been a process of far-reaching and often unexpected change, as well as geographical shifts in power, and this is reflected in the rise and fall of great cities. What lessons can we draw for the future?

    (1708 words)
  • ©Mark Armstrong

    A global safety net

    In October 2011, a high-level panel headed by the former president of Chile, Michelle Bachelet, delivered a ground-breaking report to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, arguing that everyone around the globe should receive a living income, guaranteed through transfers in cash or in kind, such as pensions for the elderly and persons with disabilities, child benefits, income support benefits and/or employment guarantees, and services for the unemployed and working poor. Martin Hirsch, a member of that panel, explains why this proposal for a more socially responsible globalisation can work. 

    (894 words)
  • Output shifts

    Despite two decades of outsourcing and globalisation, the US remains the world’s largest manufacturer in 2009. However, its share of world value-added in manufacturing declined from around 22.7% of the total in 1990 to less than 20% in 2009. China’s share rose from a minute 2.7% to 17.5% over the same period, taking over Japan, hitherto the world’s second largest manufacture, whose share dropped from 17.7% to 11.4% over the two decades.

    (211 words)
  • Mergers soar

    OECD economies are in the doldrums, but the trend in global mergers and acquisitions has rarely been more buoyant. International M&A investment in 2011 reached $822 billion as at 21 October. If this pace can be sustained, international M&A will top $100 billion by the end of the year, a 32% increase over 2010 (see chart).

    (585 words)
  • Multinational enterprises: Better guidelines for better lives

    The OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises have just been updated. What are the main changes and how might they affect international corporate behaviour?

    (1482 words)
  • ©OECD

    OECD Forum 2011: Better policies for better lives

    Uncertainty about the future, eagerness to devise new ways of managing our economies, and to contribute to the debate on how to make better policies for better lives: these were just some of the discernable public moods at the OECD Forum, held on 24-25 May.

    (414 words)
  • Fair trade, open trade

    International trade fell off the charts in the fourth quarter of 2008 and showed only a modest easing in the rate of decline in the early months of 2009. Well-regulated open trade is essential for economic recovery and development, yet in times of crisis, protectionism may appear an attractive solution. It should be resisted.

    (1042 words)
  • © Str Old/Reuters

    Putting food security back on the table

    The good intentions of governments and donors to ensure long-term food security for all may be melting away in the face of the current global financial and economic crisis.

    (931 words)
  • Development aid: The funding challenge

    Development aid rose to a new record in 2008. While good news in a crisis, how can the trend be maintained?

    (954 words)
  • ©Reuters/Crack Palinggi

    Do multinationals promote better pay and working conditions?

    The effect multinationals have on wages and working conditions can be positive, but there are conditions to bear in mind, not least for policymakers wishing to attract foreign direct investment.

    (1731 words)
  • Importing low skills

    While OECD countries compete to attract high-skilled immigrants, the 2008 International Migration Outlook finds that employers increasingly rely on immigrants for low-skilled work. Just a fifth on average of the low-educated workforce in 21 OECD countries in the report is foreign-born, whereas the EU25 average is 14.1%.

    (223 words)
  • ©OECD

    OECD Model Tax Convention

    Can the OECD Model Tax Convention, which is 50 years old this year, continue to fulfill its role of helping to make international taxation fairer and more manageable? Probably yes, though there are challenges.

    (1428 words)
  • Unequal growth, unequal recession?

    The world has seen recent decades of rapid growth. This has been most obvious in newly-industrialising countries, notably China and India, but has been shared by OECD countries. Yet the fruits of this economic growth have not been equally divided–either between countries or within countries. As it is put in the introduction to a new OECD report, Growing Unequal?, “there is widespread concern that economic growth is not being shared fairly” (page 15, see references). A rising tide does not necessarily raise all boats. Or, to use another liquid metaphor, we cannot rely on trickle-down.

    (1529 words)
  • ©André Faber

    Bright continent: African jobs

    The gloomy image that has for so long hung over the world’s largest continent may at last be lifting.
    Conflict and disease remain a bane, and there are challenges in areas like governance and transport, but as we reported in our last issue (No 255, May 2006), the OECD Development Centre’s latest African Economic Outlook is upbeat about future economic growth there.

    (346 words)
  • New directions

    Both the size and the relative incidence or frequency of the foreign-born population have increased in all OECD countries since 1995. So while there have been large increases in traditional migration countries such as the US and New Zealand, there have also been sharp rises in Denmark, Korea, Ireland, Italy, Norway and Spain, where inward migration has recently taken off.

    (237 words)
  • ©OECD Observer

    Ensuring a smoother flight

    If Shakespeare was right, and the world is a stage, then “Gathering Storm” could be the title of the play as we enter 2008. With a US economy flirting with recession, the euro area losing stamina under a strong euro, a barrel of oil close to $100, international food and commodity prices reaching record levels and climate change intensifying, it looks like we are heading into a turbulent zone.

    (807 words)
  • Africa: an emerging markets frontier

    Something new is happening in Africa. Once talk of investment in the continent’s countries was dismissed as idealism. Now global investors are turning their eyes–and their funds–to a new investment frontier. Is this short-term euphoria?

    (1345 words)
  • Click here for bigger graph

    Trading up

    Globalisation may have accelerated, but how big is international trade in a country’s income? For some major countries, the answer is not much bigger than before.

    (253 words)
  • Urban business

    City managers are important economic players, handling as they do billion-dollar budgets and thousands of employees. In its second territorial review in a series on competitive cities, the OECD explains that in the last few decades, city managers have recognised that inner city problems could not be resolved by throwing more money at them.

    (333 words)
  • Innovation, growth and equity

    “Innovation: Advancing the OECD Agenda for Growth and Equity”: that is the theme of this year’s annual Ministerial Council on 15-16 May, and it reflects what many governments believe are clear priorities. (Chair's conclusions now available!)

    (623 words)
  • Beyond Our Shores

    If ever you are unsure about the advantages of open trade, why not take a lead from students in economics and consider the story of Robinson Crusoe. Generations of students have discovered how Crusoe, shipwrecked on a desert island and cut off from the outside world, improved his welfare as he became economically re-integrated into the wider world.

    (617 words)
  • Globalisation and jobs: What policies?

    Globalisation produces winners and losers, including in employment. But while the job threat is real, it is manageable as long as the right policies are in place.

    (1243 words)
  • Angel Gurría Photo ©Council of Europe

    Partnerships count

    The OECD's core mission is to help make the world economy work better, Secretary-General Angel Gurría said in a keynote address to the meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Strasbourg, 4 October 2006. While the organisation's work is well known, stronger partnerships with parliamentarians are needed to strengthen its impact and influence, Mr Gurría said.

    (191 words)
  • ©OECD Observer

    Looking ahead

    It is a great honour to have been given the mandate to lead the OECD following Donald Johnston’s great legacy. We are facing a number of pressing challenges, of which I will mention just a few. Starting with the global economy, I would note that although the economic outlook for this and next year is rather positive, there is no room for complacency.

    (883 words)
  • Resist protectionism

    A dangerous new trend is emerging in many industrialised countries. Widespread pockets of anti-globalisation sentiment, furthered by alleged national security concerns and a perceived need to protect “strategic” sectors have led to a resurgence of protectionism. Even in countries that have long promoted and benefited from global markets, politically-motivated barriers are being resurrected. These winds have temporarily chilled economic progress.

    (1039 words)
  • Kostas Karamanlis ©Greek government

    Reforms for growth and prosperity

    The OECD Ministerial Council Meeting and the Forum are major opportunities for member countries and other emerging economies to exchange views on global economic issues, share best practices and discuss policy priorities. Our central theme this year is “Delivering prosperity” and our focus is on the wide-ranging reforms required to make our world a safe and thriving place for its citizens. Chair's summary, now available.

    (847 words)
  • Keeping it clean

    How do multinational corporations put into practice the rather higher level concepts of sustainable development and still respect the bottom line? Environment and the OECD Guidelines for MNEs relates how a pharmaceutical company, Baxter International, saved energy but also saved $50 million in operations costs by switching to the most energy-efficient lightbulb.

    (198 words)
  • Click for larger image.

    The West and the Rest in the International Economic Order

    In 1962, we usually divided the world into three regions. The advanced capitalist group was then known as the developed world. The second was the “Sino-Soviet bloc”. Countries “in course of development” were the third world. The China-USSR split occurred in the early 1960s; most of the communist regimes collapsed around 1990, and the hostility of the cold war has largely faded away. The income gap between the former communist countries and the advanced capitalist group has become very much wider than it was. For this reason, a tripartite division of the world economy is no longer appropriate.

    (3382 words)
News
Follow us
Poll

Where are we in the current economic crisis?

  • At the end?
  • The beginning of the end?
  • The end of the beginning?
FREE ALERTS

RSS
Mobile   Subscribe   About/Contact   Advertise   Français
NOTE: All signed articles in the OECD Observer express the opinions of the authors
and do not necessarily represent the opinion of the OECD or its member countries.

Webmaster



All rights reserved. OECD 2013.