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Decentralisation has been advocated by donors and development agencies as an important factor broadening citizen participation and improving local governance, thereby promoting poverty reduction from the bottom up. On the basis of a comprehensive review of 19 country case studies documented in the literature, this paper questions this assumption.
- Dementia and its most common manifestation, Alzheimer’s disease, is a complex disorder that afflicts primarily the elderly, affecting an estimated 10 million people in OECD member countries. The complexity of the disease makes treating dementia extremely difficult, involving a wide variety of social and health care interventions. Typically, these two aspects of dementia care are examined separately. This paper adopts a conceptual model that examines both types of interventions and how they interact along the dementia care continuum.
- There are no effective health care treatments for stopping dementia, which is why the social care aspect plays an important role in treating the disease, with family members an integral part of this process. This paper shows that programs designed to help alleviate the burden of family members caring for a relative with dementia can have positive health benefits to both patient and family. In particular, the use of group-living, where dementia ...
The intricate issue of detecting and forecasting macroeconomic cycles turning points has been once more perfectly illustrated with the global downturn experienced by most countries around the world in 2000-2001. Governments and Central Banks are very sensitive to economic indicators showing signs of deterioration in order to adjust their policies sufficiently in advance to avoid further deterioration or even a recession. These indicators require at least two qualities: they must be reliable and they must provide a readable signal as soon as possible. In this paper, we discuss ...
This part provides the background paper, the agenda and the summary of the OECD DAC meeting ‘Reflection on Reconstruction in Iraq’, held in Paris on 21-22 July 2003. The reflection provided a forum for an informal exchange of views on the challenges to relief, recovery and reconstruction in Iraq...
This review contains the Main Findings and Recommendations of the Development Assistance Committee and the report of the Secretariat. It was prepared with examiners from Belgium and Switzerland for the Peer Review on 17 November 2003. The principal issues covered were: building public ownership of Ireland's official development co-operation programme; providing a predictable growth path for the expansion in ODA required so as to reach an ODA/GNI ratio of 0.7% by 2007; planning now to manage a USD 1 billion ODA programme; remaining vigilant regarding human resource issues within Development Co-operation Ireland; maintaining a cautious approach to designating new programme countries; continuing to promote more strategic approaches by NGO partners; and enhancing Ireland's contribution to addressing the HIV/AIDS pandemic. This report is published on the authority of the Secretary-General of the OECD...
Methods for continuously monitoring business cycles are compared. A turn in a leading index can be used to predict a turn in the business cycle. Three likelihood based methods for turning point detection are compared in detail by using the theory of statistical surveillance and by simulations. One of the methods is a parametric likelihood ratio method. Another includes a non-parametric estimation procedure. The third is based on a Hidden Markov Model. Evaluations are made of several features such as knowledge of shape and parameters of the curve, types and probabilities of transitions and smoothing. Results on the expected delay time [of](to) a correct alarm and the predictive value of an alarm are discussed...
This paper is concerned with how stylised differences in monetary policy transmission mechanisms and product and labour market rigidities between the US and euro-area economies affect their resilience to temporary shocks. To address this issue, a small general equilibrium model with long-run neoclassical and short-run neo-Keynesian features is calibrated to replicate the key properties of the US economy (as in the US Fed’s FRB-US model). To this model, features of the euro area’s financial and then product and labour markets are added sequentially with a view to replicating what is generally agreed are aspects of the functioning of the euro-area economy (as captured by the ECB’s Area-Wide Model). Most of the analysis is conducted assuming identical monetary policy reaction functions, although the sensitivity of the results to this assumption is tested. The results illustrate the importance of adjustment patterns in financial, product and labour markets for economies’ ...
This review contains the Main Findings and Recommendations of the Development Assistance Committee and the report of the Secretariat. It was prepared with examiners from Denmark and New Zealand for the review on 17 June 2003. The principal issues covered were explicit attention to poverty reduction, predictable growth to an ODA/GNI ratio of 0.7% by 2010, a strategy for increased multilateral aid, a clear position on policy coherence for development and increased staff capacity in embassies in partner countries. This report is published on the authority of the Secretary-General of the OECD...
This review contains the Main Findings and Recommendations of the Development Assistance Committee and the report of the Secretariat. It was prepared with examiners from Luxembourg and Portugal for the Peer Review on 22 May 2003. The principal issues covered were the maintaining of Danish development co-operation leadership, the further untying of aid, holding the line on Danish ODA funding levels, maintaining a strategic geographic and sector focus, broadening Danish capacity in support of policy coherence, empowering the field missions and finding operational approaches to results-based management. This report is published on the authority of the Secretary-General of the OECD...
This part of the publication contains the report on the DAC Development Partnership Forum “Managing for Development Results and Aid Effectiveness” (Paris, 11-12 December 2002). The purpose of the Forum was to bring together donors and partners to discuss experience in results-oriented reforms. The report focuses on the implications of the results agenda on public sector management, measurement and reporting issues, public accountability and Donor/Partner co-ordination...
The last Development Assistance Committee (DAC) Review of Canada’s development co-operation, held in January 1998, highlighted Canada’s special ability to help lead the international community towards action which pushes out the frontiers of international co-operation. At the same time it noted that, in the context of a fundamental fiscal adjustment to respond to its domestic public debt burden, Canada’s aid budget had been cut by 29% over six years, more than in any other area of Canadian public spending. As a result, Canada’s official development assistance effort (as measured by the ODA/GNI ratio) had declined steeply from 0.45% at the beginning of the 1990s and was projected to fall below 0.30% by the end of the decade. (In fact, partly reflecting fast growth in Canada’s gross national income (GNI), the ODA/GNI ratio fell to 0.25% in 2000 and 0.22% in 2001). The DAC pointed out that these trends had created a paradox at the heart of Canada’s internationalism, given the continuing determination to be involved in a very wide range of issues and with as wide a range of partners as possible. This paradox raised concerns about Canada’s ability to meet expectations, both at home and abroad, for its role in the world...
The United States has a substantial impact on promoting economic growth and reducing poverty in developing countries due to the large size of its economy, its ability to influence world opinion and action and its weight within the international donor community. In 2001 the United States was the largest donor in the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee (DAC) in volume terms, reporting net official development assistance (ODA) of USD 10.9 billion, more than one-fifth of the DAC total. This represented 0.11% of its gross national income (GNI), the lowest ODA/GNI ratio in the DAC and below the DAC average country effort of 0.40%. President Bush recently announced a bold new proposal, the “Millennium Challenge Account” (MCA) for an additional USD 5 billion annually by 2006. If approved by Congress, the MCA will consolidate the American position as the largest donor, and slightly improve the country’s ODA/GNI performance. The American “checks and balances” system of government has some important ramifications for United States development co-operation. This approach implicates a wide range of stakeholders in budget decision-making, especially through the Congress. Flexible approaches to compromise are standard features of the American system, especially for issues of a short-term nature that respond to national or special interests. Addressing long-term issues related to development co-operation can prove more difficult because they lack urgency or a sufficiently strong and influential domestic constituency. Several of the issues raised in the 1998 DAC Peer Review are being addressed by the current Administration. However, some important development issues, including those relating to Congress, to the basic structure of American aid administration, or to the promotion of policy coherence for development, have proven more resistant to change and are noted again in this review...
The main objective of our study is to briefly review the development of the degree system in mainland China. Detailed information has been found by studying historical documents. The degree system in mainland China has witnessed rapid development and great changes in the last two decades, notably the introduction of professional degrees. Meanwhile, problems remain such as the imbalance of degree rank structure and poor recognition of the status and importance of professional degrees exist. Socioeconomic factors leading to the changes are analyzed and the reasons and implications are discussed. The study reveals that certain types of economy produce certain kinds of education system, regardless of ideology...
As a result of its geographic location, Greece’s own security and welfare is closely linked to stability and economic prosperity in developing and transition countries in the Balkans, the Black Sea area and the eastern Mediterranean. As a developed and stable country in these complicated multicultural regions, Greece responds to development challenges in its neighbourhood. Greece also perceives it has a significant comparative advantage here, due to shared history and cultural interaction, a high degree of mutual understanding, good political and trade linkages and its own recent development experience. Encouraging democratic practices and sustainable economic development in surrounding regions is consequently in Greece’s national interest and the main strategic orientation of the official Greek aid programme. Greece provides targeted support to regional initiatives consistent with this orientation, such as the Stability Pact for South-Eastern Europe (a Greek official currently chairs Working Table I on Democratisation and Human Rights). More than four-fifths of Greece’s bilateral official development assistance (ODA) is provided to developing countries in south-eastern Europe...
Spain is to be commended for the notable progress made in development co-operation since the last Peer Review. Important achievements include the adoption of a comprehensive Law on International Development Co-operation and a four-year Master Plan (2001-2004), improved annual plans, and reinforced or new co-ordinating bodies. The purpose of the reform was to enhance consistency and coordination within the diverse Spanish aid system, which includes many ministries, autonomous regions, local authorities, and civil society organisations. A significant achievement of the new policy is that it establishes poverty reduction as the overarching goal in development co-operation. Gender equality and environment are also determined as mainstreaming priorities. Spain seeks to focus its poverty reduction efforts on basic social needs and a new micro-finance programme is an important addition. Spain has a comparative advantage in its assistance to Latin America with strong linguistic, historical, and cultural ties. Spain has had recent experience of building a democratic state and can add value by sharing lessons-learned with partner countries in innovative and risk-taking areas of good governance. In this respect, it can conduct dialogue with developing countries in areas that are difficult for other donors. Major activities through institutional development include judicial reform, decentralisation, tax administration, and police force training. These are areas in which Spain could take on a lead role in pursuing a sector approach with other donors...
This part of the publication contains the Main Findings and Recommendations as agreed by the Development Assistance Committee following its review on 18 March 2003 at the OECD, and the report prepared by the Secretariat in association with the examiners, representing Austria and Greece, on the development co-operation policies and efforts of Luxembourg. The report is published on the authority of the Secretary-General of the OECD...
With the international development community decisively embarking on implementing the commitments entered into in Doha, Monterrey and Johannesburg, the 2003 DAC HLM focused its attention on further progress to improve policies and strategies, practices and performance linked to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), in particular through massive poverty reduction. Maintaining this focus is essential at a time of worrying uncertainties in the international economic and political environment...
OECD Members, like those of the European Union, have created a new culture of policy interdependence and mutual respect. This gives the lie to the idea that cultures are deterministic, backward-looking realities that prevent some countries from developing and help others to do so. International policy dialogue and co-operation shaped and strengthened by peer pressure can be appropriate not only for the OECD’s membership but for others, especially if they share, at least among themselves, reasonably similar values of governance or, at least, on governance targets ...