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Buoyed by the globalisation of trade, international express delivery of documents, packets and parcels is expanding rapidly. At the same time, express delivery and parcel services are tending to resemble each other greatly, at least in Europe. Express delivery and parcel service operators -- integrators, forwarders, traditional carriers or public undertakings like the Post Office -- compete increasingly. How will markets evolve? What will be the role of the various players? Will they enter into strategic alliances, and will these alliances be lasting? Should the authorities intervene? These and other questions were raised at the Round Table where experts and express delivery service operators compared their opinions. The Round Table showed clearly that the express delivery business in Europe is poised to undergo major changes.
This book summarises the environmental implications of globalisation (both positive and negative) in terms of governance (the changing role of the nation-state and other institutions), competitiveness, foreign investments (pollution havens/industrial migration), sectoral economic activities (energy, transport, agriculture), technological change, and corporate environmental strategies.
Education Policy Analysis 1997 is the companion volume to the OECD's 1997 collection of international education indicators -- Education at a Glance - OECD Indicators. It aims to deepen the analysis of current policy issues and facilitate interpretation of data, using selected indicators of particular relevance to the policy questions under examination. The five chapters analyse topics of concern to a broad audience: costs and expenditures, the stock of human capital available to OECD economies, the literacy performance of adults in 12 countries, educational failure and success, and the efficiency and effectiveness of tertiary institutions in responding to new interests and needs of learners.
This annual report provides detailed information on the amount and composition of the external debt of each of 171 countries and territories (in effect, world-wide coverage of non-OECD countries) at the end of 1996, with corresponding revised figures for 1995. In addition, estimates are provided of the amortisation payments due by each country on long-term debt in 1997.
These data are reported to OECD by Member countries' governments and credit institutions, and the main international organisations. Common reporting rules together with timely reporting allow for comprehensive, consistent and up-to-date account of external debt, making this publication invaluable for international comparisons and country risk analysis.
Pollution, accidents and congestion all cause unnecessary welfare losses, and while transport services are an essential component of economic and social development, their negative side effects are drawing increasing political attention. Internalisation aims to create incentives to reduce these external costs by factoring them into markets. This report summarises the theoretical and practical dimensions to internalisation; reviews recent estimates of external costs; explores the mix of policies that might be used to promote internalisation successfully; and estimates the size of incentives required in monetary terms.
In Russia, there has been a severe lack of financing for environmental projects in recent years. Traditional sources of financing, such as government budgets, lack resources in this time of crisis, while new sources have yet to develop their potential. How can Russia finance the projects and programmes to tackle its most serious environmental problems?
This volume brings together papers from an OECD workshop that assessed the challenges and opportunities of environmental financing in Russia today. Its case studies focus on the regional and local levels of government, which have taken over the main work of implementing environmental policy in Russia today. The book also looks at the water sector, which has traditionally required large public investments. The papers examine how current financial mechanisms can be used more effectively and consider opportunities for new sources of financing in Russia's current transition to a market economy. Furthermore, they point to key areas for reforming Russia's environmental policy framework.
As ever greater value is placed on people's skills, knowledge and attitudes, the demand for learning and relearning over a lifetime is increasing. What are the current patterns of participation in education and other forms of learning, from infancy through adult years? What policy orientations have been adopted by governments to advance lifelong learning? To what extent do existing policies and practices take into account the new ways young people and adults will need to learn and the choices, interests, experiences and circumstances of learners themselves? These are some of the questions addressed in this new edition of Education Policy Analysis. In the light of OECD Education Ministers' forward-looking lifelong approach to learning, this book covers experience and policy in OECD countries on: - access and participation in education and training; - changes in the teaching process and new roles for teachers; - pathways through initial education to employment; - financing tertiary education through students.
This annual report provides detailed information on the amount and composition of the external debt of each of 172 countries and territories (in effect, worldwide coverage of non-OECD countries) at the end of 1997, with corresponding revised figures for 1996. In addition, estimates are provided of the amortization payments due by each country on long-term debt in 1998.
These data are reported to the OECD by Member countries' governments and credit institutions, and the main international organisations. Common reporting rules, together with timely reporting, allow for a comprehensive, consistent and up-to-date account of external debt, making this publication invaluable for all those interested in international comparisons and country risk analysis.
Environmental permits have played a major role in improving industry's environmental performance across the last few decades. Because they adopt a precautionary approach during the setting of environmental requirements, permitting strategies have also favoured pollution prevention. However, current permitting systems will have to adapt to address growing pressures on the environment. How are OECD countries currently meeting this challenge? What are the main features of the laws, regulations, policies and practices governing the negotiation and delivery of industrial permits in OECD countries?
This publication's three volumes give new insights into these questions. Volume 1 contains a policy study entitled Environmental Requirements for Industrial Permitting: Approaches and Instruments. This report is the first comprehensive review of permitting practices for industry in OECD Member countries. It explores the principles behind environmental permits and identifies major trends in their use. In particular, the report examines how technology-based requirements and environmental quality objectives are used together to develop permit conditions. Results are also presented from four sectoral case studies of the iron and steel, metal finishing, pulp and paper, and oil refining industry .
Volume 2 contains the proceedings of an unprecedented OECD workshop on "Environmental Permitting of Industrial Facilities". This international workshop brought together nearly 100 government experts, regulators, permit writers, industry permit holders and other private sector representatives from OECD Member and Observer countries in Europe, North America and the Asia-Pacific region. Considering the wide range of policies, practices and viewpoints discussed, the workshop represented a significant step toward a mutual international understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of current environmental permitting systems.
Volume 3 provides a valuable reference guide on regulatory approaches to environmental permitting in OECD countries. It presents the main features of the laws, regulations, policies and practices governing the negotiation and delivery of industrial permits in eighteen OECD Member countries, the European Union and other international organisations.
The launch of the euro reinforces the foundations for unprecedented economic integration encompassing 11 countries, 16 per cent of world GDP and 290 million people. For the first time, the OECD has studied the euro-area as a fully-fledged economic entity and has analysed the intensive preparations that led to the single currency, as well as the economic issues raised by its introduction. Despite the macroeconomic convergence already achieved and the institutional framework that has been established, the fact is that many uncertainties remain. An approach to co-ordinating monetary and budgetary policies that is up to the issues at stake has still to be fully defined. And the euro area's ability to absorb economic shocks must be assessed and strengthened. In this respect it is vital for labour markets to become more flexible and adaptable if they are to compensate for the loss of national monetary autonomy which EMU implies and if adjustment is not to be at the expense of jobs. A special chapter discusses the obstacles to geographic labour mobility and the rigidity of wage setting mechanisms. These are some of the challenges that must be faced in the years to come, and this study discusses them in the light of the most penetrating and informative analysis today’s economists can provide. It does not prescribe set remedies, but drawing on analyses and figures never published before, attempts to identify the best policies for ensuring the success of the monetary union. This is a complex study that takes a hard look at the issues and will be of great interest to anyone wishing to understand the economic mechanisms at work.
This book challenges the assumption that the major benefits of investment in rural education accrue to traditional agricultural activities, such as staples production. Indeed, rural economies are much more complex than such an assumption would allow and the benefits from education are, therefore, rather dispersed, and vary significantly according to the level of educational attainment achieved. The authors have carried out a survey of rural households in Mexico, taking into account educational levels, not only of the head of household, but also of the other members of the family. Their overriding purpose is to present an approach for analysing education-migration-productivity interactions, to test this approach using real-world data, and to draw relevant conclusions for educational and development policy. The result is an analytical tool of great practical interest for policy makers, as well as for specialists who might wish to extend the technique to other societies and situations.
Contains a major international compilation of energy prices of all market levels: import prices, industry prices and consumer prices. The statistics cover main petroleum products, gas, coal, and electricity, giving for imported products on average price both for importing country and country of origin. Every issue includes full notes on sources and methods and a description of price mechanisms in each country.
How long will conventional fossil fuels remain the predominant source of energy? Does nuclear power have a future? What new energy technologies are emerging on the horizon? What are the implications of the growing role played by developing countries as producers and users of energy? What can be done to avoid international energy crises in the future? How will the information society affect the production and use of energy? And what will be the long-term implications of international environmental agreements for a sustainable energy future? Endeavours to set world energy on a sustainable footing are entering a critical phase. By 2050 the energy landscape could be completely transformed. A highly diversified mix of conventional and new fuels will be in use; unprecedented levels of energy efficiency in transport systems, housing and other infrastructures will likely have been attained; and people could at last be reaping the rewards of environmentally responsible lifestyles. But such a shift towards sustainable use of energy will take decades to achieve. This book reviews the options likely to shape the energy picture over the next half-century, and assesses some of the key issues -- economic, social, technological, environmental -- that decision-makers in government and corporations will need to address in the very near future.
Environmental taxes are receiving growing interest world-wide. From an environmental perspective, a key driver has been the search for more efficient and cost-effective approaches for implementing domestic environmental policies. From a fiscal policy perspective, growing pressures have been exerted to reduce income tax rates and to offset this by broadening the tax base. These reforms provide opportunities to introduce new environmental taxes in a revenue-neutral manner and simultaneously to achieve environmental and fiscal policy objectives.
This volume presents recent developments in designing and implementing environmental taxes in China and OECD countries. Key challenges and opportunities are highlighted, including the role of removing or reforming existing distortionary subsidies that are damaging to the environment; restructuring existing taxes; and introducing new environmental taxes. The papers, which were presented at an OECD Workshop held in October 1998, provide the reader with a unique comparative analysis.
This report supplements the December 1998 edition of External Debt Statistics, which provides figures for debt stocks for 1996 and 1997. This supplement presents time series going back to the mid-1980s for detailed debt service and debt stock data for both major country groups and 174 individual countries and territories. In addition, it provides data on net resource flows to aid recipients.
These data are reported to the OECD by the governments and credit institutions of its Member countries, and the main international organisations. Common reporting rules allow for a comprehensive and consistent account of external debt. This publication is therefore invaluable for international comparisons and country risk analysis.
Environmental activities in uranium mining and milling are becoming increasingly important owing to: - the stricter requirements for new facilities being imposed by many countries in the form of environmental clearance approvals; - the large number of uranium production facilities which have been taken out of operation recently; - and, the restoration and reclamation measures that are being considered for many old sites which have been closed permanently.
This book provides an overview of environmental activities related to uranium production based on survey responses from 29 countries. It discusses environmental and safety activities related to the closure and remediation of formerly utilised sites; the operation, monitoring and control of producing sites; and the planning, licensing and authorisation of new facilities. It includes an overview of the reported interests of specialists working in the field, including sensitivity of ecosystems, environmental impact assessment, emissions to air and water, work environment, radiation safety, waste handling and disposal, mine and mill decommissioning and site restoration, and the regulation of these activities.
This book, the result of the OECD York Workshop in the United Kingdom attended by some of the leading experts in the field, examines two key aspects of developing environmental indicators for agriculture. One discusses the identification and design of suitable indicators, the methodology to be used in their measurement and issues relating to interpretation. The other looks at how governments and other users would use indicators for policy purposes.
This first volume, of the series Environmental Indicators for Agriculture, outlines an analytical framework to further the analysis of agri-environmental linkages and sustainable agriculture. It describes the main environmental concepts in agriculture of relevance to OECD policy-makers and the indicators that need to be calculated: the use of nutrients, pesticides, and water; land conservation; water and soil quality; greenhouse gases; biodiversity; wildlife habitats; landscape; and environmental impacts related to farm management practices, the availability of farm financial resources, and rural socio-cultural issues.