Browse by: "2021"

Sweden’s northern region, Upper Norrland, is one of the most important mining regions in Europe and has the potential to become a global leader in environmentally sustainable mining. With the largest land surface and the lowest population density in Sweden, Upper Norrland contains two sub regions, Västerbotten and Norrbotten. Both sub regions host the greatest mineral reserves in the country, containing 9 of the country’s 12 active mines and providing 90% of the iron ore in the European Union. Upper Norrland has the potential to become a global leader in environmentally sustainable mining due to its competitive advantages, including a stable green energy supply, high-quality broadband connection, a pool of large mining companies working closely with universities to reduce the emissions footprint across the mining value chain, and a highly skilled labour force. Yet, the region must overcome a number of bottlenecks to support a sustainable future, including a shrinking workforce, low interaction of local firms with the mining innovation process and an increasing opposition to mining due to socio environmental concerns and land use conflicts. This study identifies how Västerbotten and Norrbotten can build on their competitive advantages and address current and future challenges to support a resilient future through sustainable mining.

Reducing methane emissions from oil and gas operations is among the most cost-effective and impactful actions that governments can take to achieve global climate goals. There is a major opportunity for countries looking to develop policies and regulations in this area to learn from the experience of jurisdictions that have already adopted methane-specific regulations in order to design frameworks that are adapted and tailored to local circumstances. One of the aims of any new policy effort should be to improve measurement and reporting of emissions data, which can in turn lead to more efficient regulatory interventions. However, the current state of information on emissions should not stand in the way of early action on methane abatement. Experience shows that countries can take an important “first step” today based on existing tools, which may include prescriptive requirements on known “problem sources” combined with monitoring programmes that seek to detect and address the largest emissions sources (“super-emitters”). In terms of process, implementing a new policy or regulation should involve three distinct phases, each covered in detail in this roadmap: understanding the local setting and circumstances, regulatory design and development, and finally, implementation.

This review analyses regulatory barriers to competition in the logistics sector in the Philippines, with the goal of helping the government make regulation more pro-competitive while fostering long-lasting growth. This report is based on a competition assessment of laws and regulations conducted by the OECD in the framework of the project “Fostering Competition in Asean”. Besides developing recommendations to promote the competitive and efficient functioning of markets under review, this report also includes estimates of how the implementation of certain recommendations could impact the economy. An OECD Competitive Neutrality Review of Small-package Delivery Services in the Philippines was launched together with this study.

The work of teachers matters in many different ways. Not only do they provide students with the knowledge and skills needed to thrive in the labour market, but they also help develop the social-emotional skills that are vital for students’ personal development and for their active citizenship. But how do teachers best achieve this? By linking 2018 data from the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) with evidence from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) – known as the TALIS-PISA link – this report aims to identify the teacher and school factors that matter most for student achievement and social-emotional development. The report uses a data-driven approach – based on machine learning and standard regression analyses – to identify the dimensions that are most strongly linked with student outcomes, and then combines this with a careful review of theory and previous research to analyse and interpret the findings. These findings provide a rich illustration of the many ways in which teachers and school leaders might influence the success of their students, acting as a tool for educators to reflect upon their own practice. Finally, the report offers several directions for education policy.

The fields of toxicology and chemical risk assessment evaluate the safety of chemicals for humans the environment. Increasingly, modern methods seek to reduce the use of animals in chemical safety testing and predictive toxicology. In this context, the OECD has developed this guidance document on Physiologically Based Kinetic (PBK) models, with the goal of increasing confidence in the use of these models parameterised with data derived from in vitro and in silico methods. The document provides insights into how the data generated by such methods can be applied to construct PBK models and how these models can be validated. A series of cases studies illustrate the use of PBK models based on in vitro and in silico data, along with the application of the model assessment framework proposed herein. This guidance document provides a clear and consistent model assessment framework for facilitating the dialogue between the developers and proponents of PBK models and regulators who review and adopt the use of PBK models.

Despite potentially tremendous benefits, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) lag in the digital transformation. Emerging technologies, as diverse as they are, offer a range of applications for them to improve performance and overcome the size-related limitations they face in doing business. However, SMEs must be better prepared, and stakes are high. SMEs make the most of the industrial fabric in many countries and regions, they create jobs (most jobs sometimes) and are the cement of inclusive and sustainable societies. The SME digital gap has increased inequalities among people, places and firms, and there are concerns that the benefits of the digital transformation could accrue to early adopters, further broadening these inequalities. Enabling SME digitalisation has become a top policy priority in OECD countries and beyond. The report looks at recent trends in SME digital uptake, including in the context of the COVID-19 crisis. It focuses on issues related to digital security, online platforms, blockchain ecosystems, and artificial intelligence. The report identifies opportunities, risks of not going digital, and barriers to adoption. It looks to concrete policy action taken worldwide to speed the SME transformation and raises a series of considerations to advance the SME digital policy agenda.

The Economic Outlook for Southeast Asia, China and India is a regular publication on regional economic growth, development and regional integration in Emerging Asia. It focuses on the economic conditions of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member countries: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam. It also addresses relevant economic issues in China and India to fully reflect economic developments in the region. The Outlook comprises two main parts, each highlighting a particular dimension of recent economic developments in the region. The first part presents the regional economic monitor, depicting the economic outlook and macroeconomic challenges in the region. The second part consists of a special thematic chapter addressing a major issue facing the region. The 2021 edition of the Outlook addresses reallocation of resources to digitalisation in response to COVID-19, with special focuses on health, education and Industry 4.0. During the COVID-19 crisis, digitalisation has proved critical to ensuring the continuity of essential services. The use of e-commerce, digital health tools and on-line education all accelerated sharply during the pandemic in Emerging Asia. However, there is still a lot of work to be done, for the region to be able to get the full benefits of digitalisation.

La Guía de la OCDE de debida diligencia para cadenas de suministro responsables en el sector textil y del calzado ayuda a las empresas a implementar las recomendaciones en materia de debida diligencia comprendidas en las Líneas Directrices de la OCDE para Empresas Multinacionales a lo largo de la cadena de suministro con el objetivo de prevenir y responder los impactos negativos potenciales de sus actividades y cadenas de suministro. La Guía busca apoyar los objetivos de las Líneas Directrices de la OCDE para asegurar que las actividades de empresas del sector textil y del calzado estén en armonía con las políticas gubernamentales y así fortalecer las bases de confianza mutua entre las empresas y las sociedades en las que operan. Esta Guía también apoya a las empresas en la implementación de las recomendaciones de debida diligencia contenidas en los Principios Rectores de las Naciones Unidas sobre las Empresas y los Derechos Humanos. La Guía está alineada con la Declaración de la Organización Internacional del Trabajo (OIT) relativa a los Principios y Derechos Fundamentales en el Trabajo y su Seguimiento, Convenciones y Recomendaciones relevantes de la OIT, y la Declaración Tripartita de Principios sobre las Empresas Multinacionales y la Política Social de la OIT. En conjunto con sus módulos de diligencia debida para áreas de riesgo específicas, esta Guía proporciona a las empresas un paquete completo para operar y abastecerse responsablemente en el sector textil y del calzado. Esta Guía fue desarrollada a través de un proceso en el que intervinieron múltiples partes interesadas, con participación en profundidad de países miembros y no miembros de la OCDE, representantes de empresas, sindicatos y de la sociedad civil, y fue supervisado por el Grupo de Trabajo de la OCDE sobre Conducta Empresarial Responsable. Esta Guía tiene orientación práctica, centrada en enfoques colaborativos y constructivos frente a desafíos complejos. Esta Guía se basa en los informes detallados de los Puntos Nacionales de Contacto (PNC) de Francia e Italia sobre la implementación de las Líneas Directrices de la OCDE para Empresas Multinacionales en el sector textil y del calzado y responde a las declaraciones realizadas en junio de 2013 y de 2014 por los PNC con relación al trágico derrumbe del edificio Rana Plaza.

In recent years Korea has stepped up efforts to reduce inequalities in recognition that a fairer economic model is also the most sustainable one. In order to support this new policy direction, the OECD has carried out novel analysis of inclusive growth building on its Framework for Policy Action, developed by the OECD to improve the prospects of the groups left behind. The Inclusive Growth Review of Korea applies, for the first time, the Framework at the national level. Using a dashboard of indicators, the Framework presents policy recommendations to sustain and more equitably share the gains of economic growth by investing in people left behind, supporting business dynamism and inclusive labour markets, and building efficient and responsive governments. In addition, the Inclusive Growth Review of Korea finds that digitalisation risks to compound the disparities of Korean labour markets, and calls for renewed efforts to reduce the lack of opportunities for up- and re-skilling of the working-age population (Chapter 2). To improve the business environment, Korea should address the unbalanced growth across sectors and firm size and unequal distribution of productivity gains across population groups (Chapter 3).

Tendances des impôts sur la consommation présente des informations sur la taxe sur la valeur ajoutée/la taxe sur les produits et services (TVA/TPS) ainsi que sur les droits d'accise dans les pays membres de l'OCDE. Cette publication contient également des informations sur les aspects internationaux de l'évolution de la TVA/TPS et sur l'efficacité de cet impôt. Elle décrit également un ensemble de dispositions dans le domaine des impôts sur la consommation sur le tabac, les boissons alcoholiques, les véhicules à moteur et les carburants pour l'aviation.

This report explores the accessibility challenges that people face in remote areas. It demonstrates how state support can ensure access to essential services and reduce social and economic isolation where private markets fail to provide adequate transport connections. It provides a classification of policy interventions in different countries and reviews common design and implementation challenges. Finally, it analyses different approaches to determine the appropriate level of state support for transport in remote communities.

This report, commissioned by the Korean Ministry of Trade Industry and Energy and written jointly by the International Energy Agency and the Korea Energy Economics Institute, examines current conditions and future opportunities to ensure electricity security and system flexibility with higher shares of variable renewable energy in Korea. The report examines the objectives from the 9th Basic Plan for Long-term Electricity (BPLE) in terms of energy demand and variable renewable energy deployment, and provides options to maintain the country’s current high level of electricity security, while integrating increasing shares of solar PV and wind. Taking into consideration the existing institutional and market structure, the analysis first looks into how flexibility needs may evolve in Korea’s power system and suggests technical options to satisfy these requirements making use of flexible generation, storage, demand-side flexibility and grids. The report then looks at key aspects of operational security and long-term planning, both recognising current progress in terms of grid and market code updates as well as suggesting improvements to the long-term planning process, through for example integrated resource planning. The report suggests market design improvements that can be implemented within the current framework, considering price formation mechanisms and integration with the existing emissions trading scheme. Finally, the report examines key aspects of climate and cyber resilience, suggesting improvements that can be integrated into long-term planning to ensure resilience across the whole value chain.

The OECD reviews national and sector-specific public procurement regimes, to guide and support countries in combatting collusive practices. This review analyses Peru's EsSalud procurement rules and practices in light of the OECD Recommendation and Guidelines on Fighting Bid Rigging in Public Procurement.