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Thailand’s education system stands at a crossroads. Significant investment has widened access to education and the country performs relatively well in international assessments compared with its peers. But the benefits have not been universally distributed and Thailand has not received the return on its spending on education that it might have expected. This report encourages Thailand to focus on four priority areas to prepare students from all backgrounds for a fast-changing world. The first is to set clear, common standards for all students through a revised and improved curriculum. The second priority is to build capacity to reliably assess students across the full range of competencies needed for success in life and in learning. Third, Thailand needs to develop a holistic strategy to prepare teachers and school leaders to deliver education reform, including implementing the revised curriculum, and to tackle teaching shortages in the most deprived areas. The final challenge is to create a comprehensive information and communications technology strategy to equip all Thailand’s schools, teachers and students for the 21st century.

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.

Earthquakes and other natural disasters are unpredictable, and often deadly. In developed and developing countries alike, the cost in human life and infrastructure is very high. The danger to schools is of particular concern, given the concentration of young people attending them, and schools' broader role in communities -- not the least of which is their common use as places of refuge after an earthquake or other disaster.

This Round Table examines the effects of productivity and technological progress on transport workers in goods transport, inland waterways transport, rail transport and urban public transport.

In Latin America and the Caribbean, as across the globe, globalisation and rapid technological change, together with demographic developments are reshaping skill demands and supply in all countries. These trends are expected to continue in the coming years at an increasing pace. Technological progress, in particular, is profoundly transforming the world of work and, in turn, the skills demanded by employers. This poses challenges but it also creates opportunities for Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries in the near future. Effective Adult Learning Policies: Challenges and Solutions for Latin American Countries discusses how individuals and firms in Latin American countries can harness the benefits of those changes. The report explores the challenges for LAC adult learning systems in supplying labour market relevant skills, what are the barriers to an inclusive participation in adult learning and what solutions governments, firms and individuals should collectively put in place to ensure that adult learning is truly effective.

This report draws a range of new analyses and case studies carried out in preparation for the Accra High-Level Forum held in September 2008. It it is organized into four parts. Part 1 examines trends in aid for health from a global perspective, focusing both on how increases in aid finance have been used, and on financing modalities and patterns that impact on the implementation of the Paris declaration. Part 2 then draws on a series of country cases studies-including Rwanda, Uganda, Cambodia, Vietnam, Ethiopia, the Kyrgyz Republic, Mali and Tanzania-looking at practical experience from the perspective of the main pillars of the Paris Declaration. Part 3 examines current issues and future directions, highlighting new work on predictable financing, showcasing developments in mutual accountability through country compacts, and innovations in cross-cutting issues such as gender and human rights. Part 4 summarizes the key messages and recommendations following the structure and format of the Accra Agenda for Action.

Economic textbooks predict that taxes and emission trading systems are the cheapest way for societies to reduce emissions of CO2. This book shows that this is also the case in the real world. It estimates the costs to society of reducing CO2 emissions in 15 countries using a broad range of policy instruments in 5 of the sectors that generate most emissions: electricity generation, road transport, pulp & paper and cement, as well as households’ domestic energy use. It finds wide variations in the costs of abating each tonne of CO2 within and among countries, as well as in the sectors examined and across different types of policy instruments. Market-based approaches like taxes and trading systems consistently reduced CO2 at a lower cost than other instruments. Capital subsidies and feed-in tariffs were among the most expensive ways of reducing emissions.

To tackle climate change, CO2 emissions need to be cut. Pricing carbon is one of the most effective and lowest-cost ways of inducing such cuts. This report presents the first full analysis of the use of carbon pricing on energy in 41 OECD and G20 economies, covering 80% of global energy use and of CO2 emissions. The analysis takes a comprehensive view of carbon prices, including specific taxes on energy use, carbon taxes and tradable emission permit prices. It shows the entire distribution of effective carbon rates by country and the composition of effective carbon rates by six economic sectors within each country. Carbon prices are seen to be often very low, but some countries price significant shares of their carbon emissions. The ‘carbon pricing gap’, a synthetic indicator showing the extent to which effective carbon rates fall short of pricing emissions at EUR 30 per tonne, the low-end estimate of the cost of carbon used in this study, sheds light on potential ways of strengthening carbon pricing.

Decarbonisation keeps climate change in check and contributes to cleaner air and water. Countries can price CO2-emissions to decarbonise their economies and steer them along a carbon-neutral growth path. Are countries using this tool to its full potential? This report measures carbon pricing of CO2-emissions from energy use in 42 OECD and G20 countries, covering 80% of world emissions. The analysis takes a comprehensive view of carbon prices, including specific taxes on energy use, carbon taxes and tradable emission permit prices. The ‘carbon pricing gap’ measures how much the 42 countries, together as well as individually, fall short of pricing emissions in line with levels needed for decarbonisation. On aggregate, the ‘carbon pricing gap’ indicates how advanced the 42 countries are with the implementation of market-based tools to decarbonise their economies. At the country level, the gap can be seen as an indicator of long-run competitiveness.

Carbon pricing very effectively encourages the shift of production and consumption choices towards low and zero carbon options that is required to limit climate change. Are countries using this tool to its full potential? This report measures the pricing of CO₂-emissions from energy use in 44 OECD and G20 countries, covering around 80% of world emissions. The analysis takes a comprehensive view of carbon prices, including fuel excise taxes, carbon taxes and tradable emission permit prices. The "carbon pricing score" measures how close the 44 countries, together as well as individually, are to the goal of pricing all energy related carbon emissions at current and forward-looking benchmark values for carbon costs. The report highlights the structure of effective carbon rates across countries and sectors in 2018 and discusses change compared to 2012 and 2015. It also provides an outlook on recent trends in emissions trading in China and the European Union.

Successfully transitioning to net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions requires effective mitigation policy packages, which include carbon pricing measures: a cost-effective policy instrument that not only reduces emissions but also generates revenue to support the transition. This fourth edition of Effective Carbon Rates provides an overview of the carbon pricing landscape, examining fuel excise taxes, carbon taxes, and emissions trading systems (ETSs) through 2021, with updates on developments until 2023. The policy mechanisms examined directly impact the cost of emitting GHGs, influencing shifts in production, consumption, and investment towards low- or zero-carbon options. The analysis covers 72 countries which together account for approximately 80% of global GHG emissions. The report focuses on developments in ETSs and transport fuel taxes amidst the energy crisis and provides comprehensive and comparable data on the current status of GHG emissions pricing that can assist policymakers in identifying priorities and refining carbon mitigation strategies.

Financial crimes are increasingly growing in sophistication. Criminals accumulate significant sums through offences including drug traffi cking, fraud, extortion, corruption and tax evasion. Different government agencies may be involved in detecting, investigating and prosecuting these offences and recovering the proceeds of crime. This report describes the current position in 32 countries with respect to the law and practice of domestic interagency co-operation in fi ghting tax crimes and other fi nancial crimes. It outlines the roles of agencies in different countries, existing legal gateways to enable these agencies to share information and other models for inter-agency co-operation. The report identifi es a number of successful practices based on countries’ experiences, and makes recommendations on ways to improve inter-agency co-operation.

Financial crimes are increasingly growing in sophistication. Criminals accumulate significant sums through offences including drug trafficking, fraud, extortion, corruption and tax evasion. Different government agencies may be involved in detecting, investigating and prosecuting these offences and recovering the proceeds of crime. This second edition of Effective Inter-Agency Co-operation in Fighting Tax Crimes and Other Financial Crimes describes the current position in 48 countries with respect to the law and practice of domestic inter-agency co-operation in fighting tax crimes and other financial crimes. It outlines the roles of agencies in different countries, legal gateways to enable these agencies to share information and other models for co-operation, such as joint investigations and the establishment of intelligence centres including officials from different authorities. The report identifies a number of successful practices based on countries’ experiences and makes recommendations for how inter-agency co-operation may be improved.

Financial crimes are increasingly sophisticated, with criminals accumulating significant sums through offences such as drug trafficking, fraud, extortion, corruption and tax evasion. Different government agencies may be involved in detecting, investigating and prosecuting these offences and recovering the proceeds of crime, or may hold information essential to these activities. This report describes the current position in 51 countries as to the law and practice for domestic inter-agency co-operation in fighting tax crimes and other financial crimes including, for the first time, co-operation with authorities responsible for the investigation and prosecution of corruption. It identifies successful practices based on countries’ experiences of inter-agency co-operation in practice and makes recommendations for how co-operation may be improved.

Insufficient investment levels pose a challenge, notably in infrastructure, with the OECD estimating a 12% increase in fixed investment needed for sustainable growth. Megatrends like urbanization and climate change further strain public finances. Subnational governments, responsible for 57% of OECD public investment, play a crucial role. The OECD's Recommendation on Effective Public Investment offers guidance, promoting integrated strategies and intergovernmental dialogue. Despite progress, challenges persist, including limited long-term impact assessment and subnational financing options. Strengthening coordination and capacity building at all levels is essential, alongside fiscal reforms and streamlined procurement. Transparency and simplification can enhance investment effectiveness, ensuring sustainable growth and equitable development.