vi

Boosting productivity in Switzerland

Swiss GDP per capita stands amongst the top OECD performers. However, to face medium-term challenges productivity developments will be key to allow the country to maintain its enviable position.




vi

The distribution of taxable income and fiscal benefits in Spain: new evidence from personal income tax returns (2002-2011)

The personal tax system has a large influence on incentives to work, save and invest and hence growth. At the same time it is a key policy lever for income redistribution.




vi

Export and productivity in global value chains – comparative evidence from Latvia and Estonia

This paper investigates the effect of export entry on productivity, employment and wages of Latvian and Estonian firms in the context of global value chain (GVC).




vi

Making the business environment more supportive of productivity in Belgium

A favourable business environment is crucial to boosting Belgium’s productivity and inclusiveness and to sustain improvements in long-term economic prosperity.




vi

Raising and mobilising skills to boost productivity and inclusiveness in Belgium

A highly educated and skilled workforce has been an important driver of productivity performance and prosperity in Belgium.




vi

Switzerland’s productivity puzzle: Being a leader and an underperformer

Switzerland is among the leaders in many global rankings including on R&D, innovation, infrastructure, universities and competitiveness. It is well integrated in global value chains, specialised in some high-value-added activities and home of many large multinationals. These factors should contribute to high, and rising, labour productivity.




vi

France: Improving the efficiency of the health-care system

France’s health-care system offers high-quality care. Average health outcomes are good, public satisfaction with the health-care system is high, and average household out-of-pocket expenditures are low.




vi

Reducing regional disparities in productivity in the United Kingdom

The United Kingdom displays large regional disparities in productivity compared to most other OECD countries, with a large gap between London and most other regions.




vi

Improving productivity and job quality of low-skilled workers in the United Kingdom

More than a quarter of adults in the United Kingdom have low basic skills, which has a negative impact on career prospects, job quality and productivity growth.




vi

Chile should use upturn to address low productivity and high inequality

A favourable growth outlook offers Chile an opportunity to address its low productivity levels compared to other advanced economies, improve access to quality jobs and take steps to reduce its persistently high inequality, according to a new OECD report.




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Chile debería aprovechar el repunte económico para abordar la baja productividad y tomar medidas para reducir la alta desigualdad

Las perspectivas de crecimiento favorable ofrecen a Chile una oportunidad para abordar sus bajos niveles de productividad comparados con los de otras economías desarrolladas, mejorar el acceso al empleo de calidad, y tomar medidas para reducir su desigualdad persistentemente alta, según un nuevo informe de la OCDE.




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Ireland recovering strongly but weak productivity and Brexit cloud outlook

The Irish economy is recovering robustly. Business investment by local firms has picked up, household consumption is reviving while the boost to jobs and a rapidly declining unemployment rate have led to strong wage growth in a number of sectors, says a new OECD report.




vi

Mind the gaps: boosting productivity and reducing inequality in Chile

Chile has been one of the fastest-growing economies in the OECD in recent decades. Sound macroeconomic management, bold structural reforms, such as trade and investment liberalisation, and buoyant natural-resource sectors, supported fast convergence in living standards.However, progress has slowed: declining productivity gains are limiting prospects for rising incomes and better-quality jobs; and inequality remains stubbornly high.




vi

United we stand divided we fall: the need for greater inclusiveness in Israel

Today’s excellent outlook offers Israel a unique opportunity to prepare for the challenges of the future which require stronger social cohesion. Israeli society is indeed marked by large inequalities.




vi

Statistical Insights: New OECD-WTO data provides coherent and comprehensive view of Global Trade in Services

Services comprise a growing share of international trade. Yet detailed statistics on which countries trade which services with which partners remain patchy.




vi

Tunisia: New structural reforms needed to revive growth and job creation

The Tunisian economy is recovering, driven by good harvests and strong performance in the tourism sector, but further reforms are needed to ensure sustainable growth and higher living standards for all Tunisians, according to a new report from the OECD.




vi

Structural reforms to boost growth and living standards in Argentina

Over the last decades Argentina’s living standards have lost ground relative to other developed and emerging economies. Putting Argentina on a path to stronger, inclusive and job-rich growth requires boosting productivity and strengthening investment through wide-ranging structural reforms.




vi

Multi-dimensional Review of Thailand 2018

Thailand has made remarkable socio-economic progress over the past several decades. Even so, rising prosperity has not been shared equally across the country. Today, Thailand strives to pursue a development path to benefit all, seeking to reinvigorate economic transformation and reduce multifaceted inequalities in the face of a rapidly ageing population and technological change.




vi

Tunisia: reviving the process of economic convergence for the benefit of all Tunisians

Tunisia is firmly committed to a process of democratisation that needs underpinning by economic reforms in order to guarantee an improved standard of living for all Tunisians.




vi

Investment as a transmission mechanism from weak demand to weak supply and the post-crisis productivity slowdown

Current weak labour productivity growth in many OECD countries reflects historically weak contributions from both total factor productivity (TFP) growth and capital deepening.




vi

Unblocking the productivity potential of local businesses in Ireland

New firm-level analysis undertaken in tandem with the OECD Economic Survey of Ireland 2018 finds that the majority of businesses in Ireland have actually experienced falling productivity since the mid-2000s.




vi

Will the inflation genie escape the bottle? New evidence on globalisation, competition and inflation

Markets and commentators are speculating that there may be a sustained pick-up in inflation in the United States, after years of subdued price pressures. Along with continued solid US jobs growth and low unemployment, there are tentative signs of higher wage growth and the fiscal stimulus will also boost short-term growth. Global growth is also getting stronger.




vi

The Greek economy is recovering. Improving debt sustainability, tackling poverty and boosting investment are vital to sustaining the positive momentum.

Greece’s recovery from deep economic depression is finally gaining traction, according to the OECD. Economic growth has started to pick up led by a rise in exports while labour market reforms have improved competitiveness and are helping to create jobs.




vi

Thailand is advancing in participatory and evidence-based regulatory reform

Reforming the public sector, long a priority for Thailand, involves several challenges. Among these, insufficient public participation in policy-making is undermining the efficient allocation of resources toward public needs and development goals.




vi

Achieving an inclusive and sustainable recovery in Greece

Greece is finally recovering from a deep depression. In 2017 GDP expanded by 1.3%, according to initial estimates, and is projected to accelerate to 2% in 2018 and 2.3% in 2019.




vi

Boosting productivity and living standards in Thailand

Over the past decade, limited structural reform and capital investment have held back productivity growth and improvements in well-being, and Thailand has lost ground vis-à-vis regional comparators.




vi

Un mayor crecimiento, aunque se advierten importantes riesgos

Después de un largo período de débil crecimiento, la economía mundial finalmente está creciendo alrededor del 4%, cercano al promedio histórico de las últimas décadas.




vi

Firms at the productivity frontier enjoy lower effective taxation

Slow productivity growth in advanced economies holds back income gains and therefore improvements in well-being.




vi

Network service deregulation and manufacturing exports in Greece

Network sectors (energy, transport and communications) have undergone a process of liberalisation in Greece in more than a decade.




vi

Reviving investment in Tunisia

Since the early 2000s, the investment rate has declined, driven by the decrease in business investment.




vi

To shorten or to lengthen? Public debt management in the low-interest rate environment

With still large government debt and interest payments in many OECD countries, actively adjusting debt maturity can help to minimise debt servicing costs.




vi

Structural policies to boost productivity and inclusion in Costa Rica

Owing to past structural reforms, Costa Rica has enjoyed robust GDP growth and productivity levels are gradually converging towards the OECD average.




vi

Reforms in Lithuania are reinforcing economic growth but boosting productivity is still a challenge

Lithuania’s economy has grown faster than most other OECD economies over the past 10 years, unemployment continues to fall and public finances have stabilised after a long period of deficits and rising debt.




vi

To shorten or to lengthen debt maturity to lower debt servicing costs?

Low interest rates prevailing in many advanced economies in recent years have already helped to lower the debt servicing burden, but government debt and interest payments remain large in many OECD countries. Could a further reduction in interest payments be attained by "locking-in" current low interest rates?




vi

The Czech economy is thriving but boosting skills and productivity and transitioning to a low-carbon productive model is vital to sustainable and inclusive growth

The Czech economy is thriving, with robust employment, expanding exports and falling government debt. Efforts should now focus on boosting workforce skills and innovation to improve labour supply and productivity, further reduce poverty and inequality, and green the economy, according to two new OECD reports.




vi

Improving the quality of business investment in Turkey

Turkey’s business sector exhibits one of the highest investment rates among OECD countries.




vi

Reforms for sustainable productivity growth in Ireland

The Irish economy has experienced a decline in productivity growth over the past decade. This has mostly reflected the poor performance of local firms, with the large productivity gap between foreign-owned and local enterprises having widened.




vi

The Czech economy is thriving but labour shortages will limit growth

Growth, driven by both internal and external demand, has been accelerating since 2013 and at 4.6% in 2017 it was more balanced than in previous years. Household consumption is supported by income growth, a declining savings rate as confidence is high, and by rising credit.




vi

Sovereign defaults: Evidence on the importance of government effectiveness

This paper provides robust empirical evidence that government effectiveness is a key determinant of sovereign defaults.




vi

How does finance influence labour market outcomes? A review of empirical studies

This paper reviews empirical research on finance and labour markets.




vi

The UK productivity puzzle through the magnifying glass: A sectoral perspective

Since the start of the Great Recession, labour productivity growth has been weak in the United Kingdom, weaker than in many other OECD countries.




vi

Mr. Angel Gurría, Secretary-General of the OECD, in Vienna on 7-8 September 2018

Mr. Angel Gurría, Secretary-General of the OECD, was in Vienna on 7-8 September 2018 to attend the Eurogroup Meeting / Informal Meeting of Economic and Financial Affairs Ministers (ECOFIN).




vi

Statistical Insights: An x-ray view of inflation

Inflation may be present in some parts of an economy but not others. Contributions to annual inflation show how much different product groups contribute to overall inflation in a given year.




vi

David Henderson 1927-2018

David Henderson, Chief Economist of the OECD from 1983 until his retirement in in 1992, died on 30 September 2018, aged 91.




vi

Reforming the large business groups to promote productivity and inclusion in Korea

Large business groups, which played a key role in Korea's economic development, are still dominant today, especially in exporting.




vi

Improving Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems: OECD Conference Proceedings

How can government policies move towards increasing agricultural innovation and improving productivity? This OECD conference shared case studies and ideas from Europe, China, United States, India, Africa, Brazil, Australia and New Zealand.




vi

OECD peer review of Brazil’s Federal Court of Accounts (TCU):Tuesday 4 December 2012, Brasilia

The OECD’s new Public Governance Review of Brazil’s Supreme Audit Institution – the Federal Court of Accounts (TCU) – assesses the governance arrangements for the external audit of the Accounts of the President of the Republic. The report includes proposals to strengthen the positive impact of the audit on the executive and legislature’s decision making and to encourage public transparency, accountability, and debate.




vi

Follow-up to the Nine Peer Reviews of Competition Law and Policy of Latin American Countries - 2012

This publication assesses the impact of previous competition law and policy reviews in nine Latin American countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, Panama and Peru. This report was discussed during the 2012 annual meeting of the OECD-IDB Latin American Competition Forum held in the Dominican Republic.




vi

Global Forum on Tax Transparency: New reports review jurisdictions’ information exchange

The Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes has released peer review reports assessing the tax systems of 13 jurisdictions for information exchange.




vi

OECD Secretary-General’s visit to Brazil, 21-22 October 2013

Mr. Angel Gurría, Secretary-General of the OECD, will be in Brasilia on 21-22 October 2013 to present the OECD Economic Survey of Brazil and hold meetings with several Ministers.