Browse by: "P"

Developing countries are concerned that multilateral tariff reductions will harm their agricultural sectors because of preference erosion. The findings in this report suggest that although this may indeed be a problem for some countries in some sectors, factors other than preferential schemes may be limiting developing country exports. The report provides information on the extent to which developing countries have used selected, non-reciprocal preferential trading schemes provided by the EU and the US. Secondary data are complemented by interviews with market operators further clarifying the empirical findings. A special section has been devoted to the preferences granted to African countries highlighting the conditions for this set of developing countries.

This report presents an overview of performance-related pay policies (PRP) for government employees in selected OECD member countries over the past two decades.  Both the strengths and the weaknesses of PRP policies are assessed.  The report explores the various paths of reform in each country, investigating the reasons why PRP policies are being implemented and how the policies operate concretely.  The outcomes of PRP policies at the individual and team levels are evaluated, and recommendations are made on what should be done or avoided with the implementation of PRP. The report includes a number of case studies.

The PISA 2003 Technical Report describes the complex methodology underlying PISA 2003, along with additional features related to the implementation of the project at a level of detail that allows researchers to understand and replicate its analyses. It presents information on the test and sample design, methodologies used to analyse the data, technical features of the project and quality control mechanisms.

This report communicates the results of an international seminar which reviewed recent progress in the field of pellet-clad interaction in light water reactor fuels. It also draws a comprehensive picture of current understanding of relevant phenomena and their impact on the nuclear fuel rod, under the widest possible conditions. State-of-the-art knowledge is presented for both uranium-oxide and mixed-oxide fuels.

This publication provides policy guidance in an area that has been given little policy priority until recent years. It brings together key lessons from 17 OECD countries, providing evidence on the strategies in place to improve adults’ participation in learning. It addresses potential barriers to learning as well as the policies to remedy them. Among these are policies for increasing and promoting the benefits of adult learning to make them transparent and easily recognised. Other policy levers include economic incentives and co-financing mechanisms that can raise the efficiency of adult learning provision, while delivering quality learning that is adapted to adults’ needs. Finally, policy making can be improved via co-ordination and coherence in a field that is characterised by a wide variety of stakeholders, including ministries of education and ministries of labour.

This report examines existing regulatory approaches and then explores how performance standards might be used to improve regulatory outcomes. Under a performance-based approach to regulation, standards would specify the performance required from vehicle operations rather than mandating how this level of performance is to be achieved. More flexible performance-based regulations provide for increased innovation and more rapid adoption of new technologies. The report explores the regulatory reform processes in some countries that have led to more direct, outcome-oriented approaches to regulating road transport vehicles.

This assessment framework for public sector integrity provides policy makers and managers with a pioneering roadmap to design and organise sound assessments in specific public organisations and sectors. It includes practical checklists, decision-making tools and options for methodologies based on good practices. At a time when governments are increasingly required to assess pro-integrity and corruption prevention measures, this report provides a unique inventory of methods and solutions used world wide for crafting well-designed assessments. Selected case studies give more details on recent assessments in the specific country contexts of Australia, Finland, France and Korea.

Pension Markets in Focus provides detailed and comparable statistics on retirement savings around the world. This annual statistical report contributes to the effort of making data on retirement savings available, as the OECD Core Principles of Private Pension Regulation advocates for, to enable regulators and stakeholders to evaluate the design and operation of pension systems relative to their goals. These statistics can support policy discussions through international comparisons and peer learning, and are the basis of policy recommendations in the OECD series of Pension Reviews. These statistics can also be helpful to private sector representatives, journalists, academics and anyone interested in funded pension systems.

Personalisation of education can mean many things and raises profound questions about the purposes of and possibilities for education. What are the policy challenges to be addressed in furthering personalisation? What do the learning sciences, including burgeoning research into brain functioning, have to contribute in pointing the way ahead? What are the constraints imposed by key stakeholders in education systems – including teachers, parents and employers, and how should these be met? Such questions are addressed in this new volume in the OECD's Schooling for Tomorrow series, with contributors from Canada, Denmark, France, Germany and the United Kingdom.

Los Principios de Gobierno Corporativo de la OCDE fueron emitidos en 1999, desde entonces, han ganado reconocimiento mundial como un estándar de comparación internacional para el buen gobierno corporativo. Son usados activamente por los gobiernos, los reguladores, los inversores, empresas y otros interesados tanto en países miembros de la OCDE como en otros no-miembros, y han sido adoptados por el Foro sobre Estabilidad Financiera como una de las Doce Normas Fundamentales para garantizar sistemas financieros sanos. La finalidad de los Principios es la de ayudar en la tarea de evaluar y perfeccionar los marcos legal, institucional y reglamentario aplicables al gobierno corporativo. También ofrecen orientación y sugerencias a las Bolsas de valores, los inversores, las empresas, y demás partes que intervienen en el proceso de desarrollo de un buen gobierno corporativo.
Los Principios deben ser vistos como un instrumento vivo. La versión revisada toma en cuenta los desarrollos desde 1999 e incorpora varias modificaciones importantes. La revisión se ha visto beneficiada ampliamente de la extensa consulta pública realizada. La versión revisada de los Principios de la OCDE fueron acordados por los países miembros de la OCDE el 22 de abril de 2004.

This third PEB Compendium features educational institutions from 20 countries selected by an international jury for their exemplary facilities. This work shows how the design, use and management of physical infrastructure can contribute to the quality of education. With full-colour photographs, plans and descriptions, the Compendium focuses on the functionality of 65 recently completed or refurbished buildings or grounds, chosen for their innovation in the areas of safety, sustainability, alternative financing, community and flexibility. In addition to schools and universities, this third edition of the PEB Compendium covers pre-schools and gives special attention to how effectively the facilities meet the needs of their users: students, teachers, parents and the community at large.