A day in the life of Shirley, platform driver
“My husband said, ‘Hey Shirley, why don’t you consider becoming a driver… you can work your own hours’." After Thanks to smartphones and apps, Shirley revamped her work to suit her life. There are risks, but satisfaction, too. Watch our video.
Improving flood risk management: A proposal for Louisiana
Flood management in coastal areas is becoming a major challenge of our times, not least ...
Finnish architecture and design: A natural fit
Finland has a reputation among designers, architects and artists for being a land, a nation, a culture that produces high-quality ...
In Indonesia, social protection can underpin democracy
Anyone looking for proof of the valuable role social protection plays in our economies should look no further than Indonesia. After ...
The platform economy can deliver for its workers too
Have you ever used your smartphone to hail a taxi? Order in lunch? Or to find the help you need, whether from a cleaner or a childminder? If you have, then like ...
Middling through
Every generation since the baby boom has seen its middle class shrink and the economic influence of that class weaken. Should we care? Yes, according to Under ...
How policy can make a world of difference for small and medium-sized enterprises
Did you know that nearly all businesses in OECD countries are in fact small and medium-sized enterprises? Not only do these SMEs represent 99% of the number of ...
Johnson & Johnson: Leading innovations for better health care
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How responsible is H & M’s supply chain?
| When an 8-storey building in Rana Plaza in Bangladesh crumbled in 2013, over a thousand ... |
What are the OECD Principles on AI?
Artificial intelligence is still in its early days and policymakers are still finding their feet. To what extent can they, and should they, encourage this powerful ...
Linking Indigenous Communities with Regional Development
We are pleased to have provided leadership and guidance on this report – the first-ever global study of its kind on Indigenous economies and regiona ...
The cost of injustice
£3.5 billion. That’s the amount of money–nearly US$4.5 billion–the UK economy is estimated to lose every year due to unresolved legal issues and ongoing dispu ...
Global warming under 1.5 °C? Yale professor John Roemer says we can do it.
We have 12 years to make changes and keep the temperature rise under 1.5 °C. This was the message from the IPCC, which is the UN’s international scientif ...
The last (plastic) straw?
“I just want to say one word to you. Are you listening? Plastics.” This infamous advice, deliver ...
Finland leads the climate charge in the Arctic Council
If you think the ice looks a little greyer in the Arctic, your eyes are not deceiving you. A five-year study by international researchers ...
Protecting our water
The celebrated marine scientist Jacques Cousteau once said that “All life is part of a complex relationship in which each is dependen ...
Improving flood risk management: A proposal for Louisiana
Flood management in coastal areas is becoming a major challenge of our times, not least ...
Data vs deforestation: A breakthrough in supply-chain transparency
We are eating our way through tropical forests. Whether it’s a cappuccino for breakfast, a burger for lunch or a chocolate bar a ...
Beyond humanitarian aid: Connecting the dots with development
Drought, floods, earthquakes, conflict, climate change: these are just some of the areas which humanitarian assistance is traditionally called on to address. ...
Sweden's development lead
Since 2006, Sweden has delivered 1% of its gross national income (GNI) as official development assistance (ODA). In 2017, Sweden was the highest contributor in ...
Empowering women beyond Finland
From introducing equal inheritance rights in 1878, Finland continues to earn it's reputation as a global pioneer of gender equality.
The platform economy can deliver for its workers too
Have you ever used your smartphone to hail a taxi? Order in lunch? Or to find the help you need, whether from a cleaner or a childminder? If you have, then like ...
Behavioural insights
Forgetting to file your taxes on time. Not cleaning up after your dog when it leaves a mess on a public street. Driving above the speed limit. Why do we behave ...
Five facts about regional inequalities and what to do about them
Popular unrest, street protests and calls for a return to protectionism: today’s headlines make it crystal clear that too many peopl ...
Sweden's development lead
Since 2006, Sweden has delivered 1% of its gross national income (GNI) as official development assistance (ODA). In 2017, Sweden was the highest contributor in ...
The funding crowd
“Every crowd has a silver lining,” said P.T. Barnum, America’s “greatest showman”. For businesses, Barnum’s play on words is especially true: crowds are be ...
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Multimedia
International crop prices started falling in 2012. The OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2016-2025 projects that over the next ten years, real prices of most agricultural products will decline slightly, but remain higher than they were prior to the 2007-08 price spike. To find out more about the effects of declining food prices on consumers and farmers, read the blog by Jonathan Brooks on OECD Insights.
What can an organisation like the OECD, committed to evidence-based policy advice, do to tell the whole truth in a post-truth environment? "We may need to enrich our models to ensure that the outcomes respond to people expectations, and help us to recover the most important ingredient in our societies, which is trust." Read the recent article by Gabriela Ramos, published on the OECD Insights blog, to find out more.
"The future is clearly digital, bringing challenges as well as opportunities." How will the German presidency of the G20 address the issue of digital transformation? Read the recent article by Sigmar Gabriel and Angel Gurría, published on The World Post, a partnership of The Huffington Post and the Berggruen Institute, to find out more.
Try our OECD Observer Online Crossword, with Myles Mellor.
Can you name India's most populated city (7 letters)? And the WW II code cracker whose life was the subject of "The Imitation Game" (6 letters)? Try our special online OECD Observer crosswords, with Myles Mellor.
King Felipe of Spain with OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría in Madrid, 13 March. Mr Gurría was in Spain to launch the latest OECD Economic Survey of Spain on 14 March.
The OECD Observer Crossword, with Myles Mellor. Try it online!
Winston Churchill famously called it the "black dog". He was referring to depression. Across the world, millions of people are struggling with their own black dog. Emily Hewlett sees hope ahead in this post.
Economic data
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What's New
- Economy: Malaysia has achieved high levels of growth, but must do more to address governance and social challenges
- Economy: Uncertain global economy should prompt governments to embark on reforms
- Economy: Luxembourg has achieved high levels of growth and well-being but must do more to preserve and share prosperity
- Agriculture: Output growth to keep food prices low over the coming decade, but uncertainties ahead
- Climate: Reclaiming our common future
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Don't miss
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- The following communiqué and Chair’s statement were issued at the close of the OECD Council Meeting at Ministerial level, this year presided by the Slovak Republic.
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- Food production will suffer some of the most immediate and brutal effects of climate change, with some regions of the world suffering far more than others. Only through unhindered global trade can we ensure that high-quality, nutritious food reaches those who need it most, Angel Gurría, Secretary-General of the OECD, and José Graziano da Silva, Director-General of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, write in their latest Project Syndicate article. Read the article here.
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- Globalisation will continue and get stronger, and how to harness it is the great challenge, says OECD Secretary-General Gurría on Bloomberg TV. Watch the interview here.
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- OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría with UN Secretary-General António Guterres at the 73rd Session of the UN General Assembly, in New York City.
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- The new OECD Observer Crossword, with Myles Mellor. Try it online!
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- Listen to the "Robots are coming for our jobs" episode of The Guardian's "Chips with Everything podcast", in which The Guardian’s economics editor, Larry Elliott, and Jeremy Wyatt, a professor of robotics and artificial intelligence at the University of Birmingham, and Jordan Erica Webber, freelance journalist, discuss the findings of the new OECD report "Automation, skills use and training". Listen here.
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- Do we really know the difference between right and wrong? Alison Taylor of BSR and Susan Hawley of Corruption Watch tell us why it matters to play by the rules. Watch the recording of our Facebook live interview here.
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- Has public decision-making been hijacked by a privileged few? Watch the recording of our Facebook live interview with Stav Shaffir, MK (Zionist Union) Chair of the Knesset Committee on Transparency here.
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- Can a nudge help us make more ethical decisions? Watch the recording of our Facebook live interview with Saugatto Datta, managing director at ideas42 here.
- The fight against tax evasion is gaining further momentum as Barbados, Côte d’Ivoire, Jamaica, Malaysia, Panama and Tunisia signed the BEPS Multilateral Convention on 24 January, bringing the total number of signatories to 78. The Convention strengthens existing tax treaties and reduces opportunities for tax avoidance by multinational enterprises.
- Globalisation’s many benefits have been unequally shared, and public policy has struggled to keep up with a rapidly-shifting world. The OECD is working alongside governments and international organisations to help improve and harness the gains while tackling the root causes of inequality, and ensuring a level playing field globally. Please watch.
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- Checking out the job situation with the OECD scoreboard of labour market performances: do you want to know how your country compares with neighbours and competitors on income levels or employment?
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- Trade is an important point of focus in today’s international economy. This video presents facts and statistics from OECD’s most recent publications on this topic.
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The OECD Gender Initiative examines existing barriers to gender equality in education, employment, and entrepreneurship. The gender portal monitors the progress made by governments to promote gender equality in both OECD and non-OECD countries and provides good practices based on analytical tools and reliable data.
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Interested in a career in Paris at the OECD? The OECD is a major international organisation, with a mission to build better policies for better lives. With our hub based in one of the world's global cities and offices across continents, find out more at www.oecd.org/careers .
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Visit the OECD Gender Data Portal. Selected indicators shedding light on gender inequalities in education, employment and entrepreneurship.
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