©OECD

The entire collection of OECD‘s country economic surveys has now been made accessible online at the OECD i-Library. Published regularly since the creation of the OECD in 1961, and to mark the Organisation’s 50th anniversary, this online archive offers a unique historical perspective of the economic changes OECD countries have undergone since 1961. It is an invaluable resource for anyone tracing their efforts to rebuild their economies after World War II, addressing the oil crisis in the 1970s, the dot.com revolution and bubble, and the economic, educational and environmental challenges of the 21st century.

“The government’s top priority is reducing the nation’s deficit and returning Britain to strong and sustainable growth. That means the right economic policies at home and creating the right economic environment abroad.

“[…] On behalf of the OECD, I express our profound sorrow at the enormous loss of life and extend our condolences to all those who have been affected by this terrible tragedy. At the same time, we admire the courage and resolve of the Japanese people in face of adversity, and we are confident that Japan will emerge from this disaster stronger and better.

As the OECD reaches 50, it must continue to become more relevant, useful and open within a new architecture of global governance, argues Angel Gurría, in this extract from remarks delivered following the renewal of his mandate as OECD secretary-general.*

As governments try to maintain their global competitiveness, increase the flexibility and responsiveness of labour markets and deal with issues of population ageing, the OECD is launching a Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) to assess the skills individuals posess, how they use them at the work place, and how better skills feed into better jobs, higher productivity, and ultimately better economic and social outcomes. The aim of the programme is to help governments understand how education and training systems can nurture the skills and competencies needed for individuals to participate in knowledgebased societies.

OECD countries agreed to invite Estonia, Israel and Slovenia to become members of the organisation, paving the way for membership to grow to 34 countries.

Praising the co-ordinated international actions in response to the economic crisis, International Labour Organization Director-General Juan Somavia, World Trade Organization Director-General Pascal Lamy, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría, World Bank President Robert B. Zoellick, International Monetary Fund Manager Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn (L-R in the photo) and issued a joint press statement on 28 April 2010 calling for continued “international efforts with the aim of ensuring a lasting recovery in the financial sector and strengthening growth in the long term, and to address the impact of the crisis on poor countries and vulnerable populations”.

Professor Angus Maddison, who died on  24 April, was an outstanding economist  and OECD legend. In fact, Maddison joined  the OECD even before it existed. In 1952,  he became a member of what was then  the Economic and Statistics Directorate of  the Organisation for European Economic  Co-operation, the OEEC. When the  OEEC became the OECD in 1961, he  took his lifelong obsession with statistics,  measurement and accuracy to the problems  of development.