OECD Observer

Out of work: A portrait

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 04:00:00 GMT

"Being unemployed is frustrating, demeaning and, at this point, frightening." Anyone who has any doubt about the devastating effects unemployment can have will learn a lot from statements such as this one, captured in a recent survey undertaken by the John. J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University in the US.

Is financial stability enough?

Mon, 28 Jan 2019 05:00:00 GMT

Latest economic data

Wed, 05 Feb 2020 05:00:00 GMT

Chile�s accession to the OECD

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Chile is set to become the OECD�s 31st member country. It is a momentous occasion, as captured in the following extracts from speeches by President Michelle Bachelet of Chile and by OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurr�a, following the signing of the agreement on the terms of accession by the Republic of Chile to the OECD Convention, delivered in Santiago, Chile, 11 January 2010.

Buy local?

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 04:00:00 GMT

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.

Oil conundrum: OECD Economic Survey of Mexico 2009

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 04:00:00 GMT

"This makes you my competitor", said oil pioneer Daniel Plainview on learning that his son wanted to quit the wells in California to drill his own in Mexico, in the 2007 movie, There will be Blood. And to be sure, Mexico did become a competitor, producing oil in the early 1900s and becoming the second largest producer in the Americas after the US by the 1990s.

Fighting bribery

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT

The OECD Anti-Bribery Convention, which entered into force 10 years ago this December, was the first global instrument to fight corruption in cross-border business deals. To date, 30 OECD member countries and eight non-member countries-Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, Estonia, Israel, Slovenia and South Africa-have adopted the convention.

African tax administration: A new era

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 05:00:00 GMT

The launch of the ATAF marks a milestone in the continent�s quest for greater self-reliance, economic growth and social development.

Preventing obesity

Sun, 21 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT

The spread of unhealthy diets and sedentary lifestyles have led to rising rates of overweight and obesity. This has meant a greater burden of chronic diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes.

Myths and migrants

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 04:00:00 GMT

One of the most widely heard accusations against immigrants is that they take jobs from locals, usually-it's claimed-because they are willing to work for less. How true are such claims, and do immigrants really harm the job prospects of natives?