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This paper was prepared for the OECD-IEA Climate Change Expert Group (formerly called the Annex I Expert Group) for the purpose of providing useful and timely input on specific topics relevant to international negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The papers do not represent the views of the OECD, the IEA, or their member countries, rather they are Secretariat information papers intended to help inform countries as well as the UNFCCC audience on key technical issues in the international climate change negotiations.

This article addresses the political, social and broader economic context of public finance reforms in Angola, drawing upon historical perspectives of economic development in Africa and the country’s own experience. The article highlights changes in Angolan practices in line with generally accepted public finance principles, and demonstrates how these reforms occurred within a particular political economy and within sets of international financial, economic, trade and political relationships that influenced their design and implementation. The article illustrates how economic structures and governance systems have been directly linked to the platform of natural resources and social relationships in Angola and in the general African context.

The OECD Competition Committee debated environmental regulation and competition in June 2006. This document includes an executive summary and the documents from the meeting. Written contributions were submitted by: Brazil, the Czech Republic, the European Commission, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, Norway, the Russian Federation, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye, the United States, Zambia as well as Ms. Perrot (of France). An aide memoire of the discussion is also included.

In this paper the authors describe the outline of an analysis of disruptive technologies presented by Christensen in his book, The Innovator’s Dilemma. They go on to argue that the analysis can be applied to the practice of e-learning as it has been developed in higher education in the United Kingdom, and possibly elsewhere. They suggest that current moves away from fully developed e-learning and towards “blended learning” can be understood in terms of Christensen’s analysis, and that the move may be an indication that large, established organisations have difficulty in adjusting to disruptive technologies. They conclude that much research needs to be done in the area of e-learning, especially small scale studies of how e-learning can be used away from the established culture of formal education. This is an approach to market research that is also contained in Christensen’s analysis. In summary, they argue that Christensen’s analysis offers some important insights into the process of adopting e-learning solutions in higher education, and also suggests some fruitful directions for future research.

This Emission Scenario Document (ESD) addresses active substances for insecticides, acaricides and products to control other arthropods (in the EU, “product type 18”), used in animal housing and manure storage systems. Biocidal products marketed as insecticides are used in many different applications. They may be used in buildings, outdoors, in sewer systems and for veterinary purposes in animal housings Van Dokkum et al., 1998). The emission scenarios of insecticides for manure storage systems and for stables are connected closely to those of veterinary hygiene biocidal products (the EU “product type 3”). For this product type and for veterinary medicinal products, several reports have been published already (Montfoort et al., 1996; Montforts, 1999; Van der Linden, 2000). In specific cases, there may be borderline cases with food and feeding area disinfectants (the EU “product type 4”), veterinary medicinal products (the EU “product type 3”) or wood preservatives (the EU “product type 8”). This can occur if a biocide is used for more than one purpose. This is, for example, the case when a biocide is often used as an insecticide in animal housings, as a preservative in feed (disinfectant) and as a medicinal product against external parasites for chickens.

The purpose of this emission scenario document (ESD) is to provide a realistic worst-case emission scenario for chemicals used at kraft pulp mills. The general information about the processes and chemicals used is derived from literature data and several reports from the European Union and the United States. The emission estimation methods given in this ESD are based on those developed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development with parameter defaults reflecting Canadian operations. This ESD for Kraft Pulp Mills was developed in 2004 along with two sister documents, an ESD on Non-integrated Paper Mills, and an ESD on Recovered Paper Mills. Although they were designed as stand alone documents, by their nature they represent different phases of the life cycle of paper products.

The extraction of a common signal from a group of time series is generally obtained using variables recorded with the same frequency or transformed to have the same frequency (monthly, quarterly, etc.). The econometric literature has not paid a great deal of attention to this topic. In this paper we extend an approach based on the use of dummy variables to the well known trend plus cycle model, in a multivariate context, using both quarterly and monthly data. This procedure is applied to the Italian economy, using the variables suggested by an Italian Institution (ISAE) to provide a national dating, and compared with the equivalent multivariate and univariate approaches with monthly data. We note that the contemporaneous use of quarterly and monthly data provides results more consistent with the official ones with respect to the other approaches.

From the start of the 2001-2002 academic year, people who had not completed secondary school were able to enter higher education based on documented non-formal learning, realkompetanse. Based on interviews with key personnel at selected universities and university colleges, and on quantitative data from the applicant register, this article presents results from an evaluation of this reform in Norwegian higher education. The evaluation indicates that the reform, by and large, works according to the lawmakers’ intentions in providing a second chance for learners not usually linked with higher education. Still, findings suggest considerable variations in how the universities and university colleges have adjusted to the reform. Geographical location and supply of students are factors contributing to the institutions attitude to the reform. University colleges in rural areas with a low number of applicants, in general, react more positively to the reform and it seems to be easier for applicants to be assessed as qualified for studies, in such institutions.

The new Swiss budget rule or “debt brake” is based on the idea or rather the aim that the structural deficit should be zero.1 Therefore, the size of the structural deficit is of special importance for the conduct of fiscal policy under the debt brake. In 2003, it was estimated that there is a structural deficit in the order of CHF 3.5 billion, which represents about 7% of central government expenditure or under 1% of GDP. In comparison to the European Union deficit rule (Maastricht criteria) of 3% of GDP, this is of course a small number. However, this excludes the social security accounts, which are not included in the federal financial accounts in Switzerland. In addition, under the regime of the debt brake, the adjustment of a structural deficit has in principle to be immediate, which can be quite painful even for relatively small deficits. The adjustment can also be delayed, but this requires special provisions either through the law or through a decision of parliament to overrule the debt brake for extraordinary circumstances. The latter has to be supported by a qualified majority of both chambers of parliament.

Between 2002 and early 2005 risk premia for a number of asset classes across broad geographical areas not only fell substantially but also tended to move more closely together than they had done historically. This raises the question to what extent this apparent reduced investor discrimination across asset classes went beyond what can be accounted for by market-specific developments. In particular, the reduced discrimination among asset classes could suggest that factors other than market- or country-specific events have played a role in narrowing risk premia.

This article focuses on non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) in the Netherlands that are funded by public money and whose task is defined by law. In terms of public spending, the service delivery role of NDPBs is quite extensive, and they are investing in new ways of enhancing their efficiency, the quality of their services, and the confidence of those with whom they deal. The notion of broad public accountability applies: NDPBs are not only accountable to the responsible minister and to Parliament (vertical accountability) but to a wider range of stakeholders within civil society (social accountability, customer accountability). Internal accountability (supervisory boards) also has a role to play. The interrelationships are explored and various instruments are described, including performance contracts, annual reports, the role of ministers, and international social reporting standards.