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The objectives of this report are: to raise awareness about corruption types and risks in the three sectors, and the importance of eliminating those risks through targeted polices and measures; share the experience of ACN countries in tackling corruption in these sectors through specific tools; identify good practices implemented to prevent corruption in these sectors, at the level of government, NGOs, the private sector as well as multi-stakeholder initiatives.

One case of transnational corruption out of five occurs in the extractive sector according to the 2014 OECD Foreign Bribery Report. In this area, corruption has become increasingly complex and sophisticated affecting each stage of the extractive value chain with potential huge revenue losses for the public coffers. This report is intended to help policy makers, law enforcement officials and stakeholders strengthen prevention efforts at both the public and private levels, through improved understanding and enhanced awareness of corruption risk and mechanisms. It will help better tailoring responses to evolving corruption patterns and effectively countering adaptive strategies. The report also offers options to put a cost on corruption to make it less attractive at both the public and private levels.

The nuclear sector has in recent years been placing increasing attention on the need to better understand variations between cost estimates for the decommissioning of nuclear power plants, as well as the relationship between estimated and actual costs, and the apparent escalation of these costs. Building on previous work by the Nuclear Energy Agency, Cost Benchmarking for Nuclear Power Plant Decommissioning examines approaches and methods for the benchmarking of nuclear power plant decommissioning costs. Particular focus is given to identifying key factors, drivers and constraints to implementing cost benchmarking. These factors are addressed from a broad range of perspectives in order to develop a roadmap for implementation that will garner sufficiently broad support from a wide base of interested stakeholders. The report also identifies a number of perceived barriers that may impede the implementation of benchmarking for decommissioning. Co-ordinated efforts and further analysis will be needed to help remove these barriers.

This Round Table  first examines the potential benefits that cost-benefit analysis might achieve and then looks at why, in fact, they are not obtained.

This report is based on a study carried out by the NEA Decommissioning Cost Estimation Group (DCEG) on decommissioning cost elements, estimation practices and reporting requirements. Its findings indicate that cost methodologies need to be updated continuously using cost data from actual decommissioning projects and hence, systematic approaches need to be implemented to collect these data. The study also concludes that changes in project scope may have the greatest impact on project costs. Such changes must therefore be identified immediately and incorporated into the estimate. Finally, the report notes that more needs to be done to facilitate the comparison of estimates, for example by providing a reporting template for national estimates.

This book explores recent developments in environmental cost-benefit analysis (CBA). This is defined as the application of CBA to projects or policies that have the deliberate aim of environmental improvement or are actions that affect, in some way, the natural environment as an indirect consequence. It builds on the previous OECD book by David Pearce et al. (2006), which took as its starting point that a number of developments in CBA, taken together, altered the way in which many economists would argue CBA should be carried out and that this was particularly so in the context of policies and projects with significant environmental impacts.
It is a primary objective of the current book not only to assess more recent advances in CBA theory but also to identify how specific developments illustrate key thematic narratives with implications for practical use of environmental CBA in policy formulation and appraisal of investment projects.
Perhaps the most significant development is the contribution of climate economics in its response to the challenge of appraising policy actions to mitigate (or adapt to) climate change. Work in this area has increased the focus on how to value costs and benefits that occur far into the future, particularly by showing how conventional procedures for establishing the social discount rate become highly problematic in this intergenerational context and what new approaches might be needed. The contribution of climate economics has also entailed thinking further about uncertainty in CBA, especially where uncertain outcomes might be associated with large (and adverse) impacts.

This book presents an in-depth assessment of the most recent conceptual and methodological developments in cost-benefit analysis and the environment. It examines how costs and benefits are evaluated and given monetary value, how to take into account impacts on future generations and impacts of irreversible losses, and how to deal with equity and sustainability issues.

This report evaluates Costa Rica’s willingness and ability to implement the substantive OECD legal instruments within the Competition Committee’s competence, and to assess Costa Rica’s policies and practices in comparison to OECD best policies and practices in the field of competition policy.

The review analyses key areas of public governance in Costa Rica and identifies opportunities to improve the performance of the state in order to ensure more effective and efficient service delivery for all citizens. It examines co-ordination at the centre of government, public policy monitoring and evaluation and the use of the budget framework for strategic planning. It also looks at human resource management, integrity policies and public procurement, and multi-level governance. The review provides recommendations to assist the government in strengthening the capacity of the public sector to support social and economic development.

This Round Table examines the costs and benefits of road safety measures, examining methodologies, prospects and country experiences before drawing a series of conclusions.

On-going multi-stakeholder discussions have raised important questions on the perceived imbalance of how due diligence costs and benefits are distributed along the supply chain. This position paper was drafted in response to stakeholder calls that the OECD examine this topic with the objective of raising awareness, better informing discussions, identifying key research questions, and guiding stakeholders towards viable solutions.

While refurbishments for the long-term operation of nuclear power plants and for the lifetime extension of such plants have been widely pursued in recent years, the number of plants to be decommissioned is nonetheless expected to increase in future, particularly in the United States and Europe. It is thus important to understand the costs of decommissioning so as to develop coherent and cost-effective strategies, realistic cost estimates based on decommissioning plans from the outset of operations and mechanisms to ensure that future decommissioning expenses can be adequately covered.
This study presents the results of an NEA review of the costs of decommissioning nuclear power plants and of overall funding practices adopted across NEA member countries. The study is based on the results of this NEA questionnaire, on actual decommissioning costs or estimates, and on plans for the establishment and management of decommissioning funds. Case studies are included to provide insight into decommissioning practices in a number of countries.

Countries today face numerous environmental policy challenges, such as climate change, air and water pollution, natural-resource management, natural disasters and environment-related hazards. The costs of not responding to them can be considerable, in some cases representing a significant drag on OECD economies. Estimation of these costs can be an important part of identifying areas in which policy interventions are required, as well as of establishing priorities for future action. There is, however, considerable uncertainty associated with all stages of “costing” the impacts of  environmental and resource degradation. Even when the costs of inaction are deemed important, identifying the areas where environmental policies need to be strengthened still requires careful comparison between the marginal costs of inaction versus action. This report provides introductory perspectives on the costs of inaction and discusses some of the future problems likely to be encountered in this very complex area.

In West Africa, approximately 16 million people depend directly or indirectly on cotton cultivation. But subsidies in the developed world have suppressed cotton prices and have made it difficult for West African producers to compete.  Compounding the problem, WTO negotiations on the problem have been suspended.  This publication contends that the dialogue between developed and developing countries on this topic must continue. It sets out the regional stakes linked to the economic and social importance of cotton in West Africa. It retraces the consultation process on the West African cotton crisis with the aim of finding a negotiated solution acceptable to all parties. Also discussed are the challenges and the measures that need to be taken over the medium and long term in order to prevent this sub-sector’s sudden collapse.

This report includes the Council of Ministers Resolution on prospects for thet rend in transport in the period 1956-1960 and the report by the Committee of Deputies on the same topic.

This report includes the ECMT resolution concerning the financial situation of the railways as well as the background report on the subject.

This report  sets out the Resolutions and Reports approved by the Council of Ministers of Transport during the year 1954.

This report sets out the Resolutions and Reports approved by the Council of Ministers of Transport during the year 1955.

This report sets out the Resolutions and Reports approved by the Council of Ministers of Transport during the year 1956.