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.

Chicago is at a tipping point: despite economic strengths, it faces considerable challenges to compete in the “Premier League” of world-class cities, warns the OECD’s review of the Chicago Tri-State Metropolitan Region.

On 8 June 2012 an International Seminar on « Ensuring Transparency and Integrity in Lobbying : Towards a Regulatory Framework » will take place in Moscow, Russia.

The United States should do more to foster innovation and provide more equitable access to high-quality education in order to maintain its status as the world's most vibrant and productive economy, according to OECD's latest Economic Survey of the United States.

The OECD Development Centre will present the 2012 Social Institutions and Gender Index at UN Women in New York on 5 July. The event will be hosted by the UN Women Research and Data Section and chaired by Michelle Bachelet, Executive Director of UN Women.

The US labour market continues its slow recovery from the 2008-09 recession, but the unemployment rate remains significantly higher than before the financial crisis

Education at a Glance 2012: Country Notes - United States

Education at a Glance 2012: Country Notes - United States

In a letter to President Obama, Secretary-General Angel Gurría acknowledged that Americans demonstrated their recognition of the President's many achievements during his first four years in the White House.

Gains in female education attainment have contributed to a worldwide increase in women’s participation in the labour force, but considerable gaps remain in working hours, conditions of employment and earnings.  More specific data for the United States are available in this country note.

Global economic activity is picking up, but the continuing crisis in the euro area is delaying a meaningful recovery, the OECD said in its latest Interim Economic Assessment.

Education at a Glance 2013 - Country notes and key fact tables

The United States should improve postsecondary career and technical training provisions to help students transition smoothly into education programs and the labor market, according to a new OECD report published today.

A moderate recovery is underway in the major advanced economies, according to the OECD’s latest Interim Economic Assessment. Growth is proceeding at encouraging rates in North America, Japan and the UK. The euro area as a whole is out of recession, although output remains weak in a number of countries.

The Secretary-General of the OECD, Mr. Angel Gurría, will be in Washington from 10 to 12 October 2013, to attend the Annual Meeting of the World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund, where he will deliver statements at the International Monetary and Finance Committee and Development Committee.

OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría said that while OECD countries breathed a sigh of relief following the U.S. Congress’ steps to lift the debt ceiling and to end the partial federal government shutdown a longer term solution will need to be found.

The global economic crisis has had a profound impact on people’s well-being, reaching far beyond the loss of jobs and income, and affecting citizens’ satisfaction with their lives and their trust in governments, according to a new OECD report.

An OECD study published today says the United States should take concerted action to address the adult skills challenge, warning it could progressively fall behind other countries. The study argues that low-skilled populations face a bleak future, creating challenges both to equity and social cohesion.

This report draws on the new international OECD Survey of Adult Skills to highlight the challenges faced by the United States. It shows that the United States should take action to improve adult skills, if it wants to avoid falling behind other countries. The report also advances a set of key recommendations to improve basic skills across the board.

Though gone 50 years ago this week, John F. Kennedy remains an icon of our times. The OECD stands as a living tribute to his legacy.

The OECD was born transatlantic since its very origins as the Organisation for European Economic Cooperation in 1948, established in the immediate post-war period to manage and distribute Marshall Plan aid to reconstruct Europe. The centre of gravity of the world economy is now shifting and will continue to do so but this does not mean that the Transatlantic Partnership has a lesser role to play on the global stage, said Angel Gurría.

The Secretary-General of the OECD, Mr. Angel Gurría, will be in Washington on 2-3 December 2013, to present the results of the 2013 OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), alongside Mr. Arne Duncan, Secretary of Education of the United States. The Secretary-General will also meet with several high-level US officials.

Note summarising the performance of 15-year-old students in the United States in the PISA 2012 assessment of mathematics, reading and science

PISA provides the most comprehensive international comparison of the skills and knowledge of 15-year-olds around the world in mathematics, science and reading. We take stock in three year periods and run the numbers and publish them a year later. Thus, these results correspond to the 2010-2012 period and they are the 5th set we prepare and publish since 2000.

Talks to free up more trade and investment between the European Union and the United States got under way early in 2013. A good agreement in 2014 would be a positive thing, and not just for the EU and the US.

Recovery is under way in the world’s advanced economies, underpinned by supportive financial conditions and reduced drag from budgetary tightening, but activity in the major emerging markets is mixed, according to the OECD’s latest Interim Economic Assessment.

This note presents key findings for the United States from Society at a Glance 2014 - OECD Social indicators. This 2014 publication also provides a special chapter on: the crisis and its aftermath: a “stress test” for societies and for social policies.

Note summarising the United States' results in the PISA 2012 problem solving assessment.

Mr. Angel Gurría, Secretary-General of the OECD, was in Washington from 10 to 13 April 2014, to attend the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FM&CBG) meetings and the IMF/World Bank Spring Meetings. While in Washington, Mr. Gurría also held bilateral meetings with several US senior officials.

Economic activity in the United States is projected to pick up in steadily in 2014 as the effects of the severe winter weather dissipate and investment and consumption expand, according to the OECD’s latest Economic Outlook.

When it comes to well-being, American users of the OECD Better Life Index (BLI) want to be happy, Canadians care most about health, while Latin Americans strive for better education. That’s according to user feedback as the Index marks its third birthday.

The United States can further improve productivity in its economy by prioritizing reforms that enhance openness, diversity and competition in services markets, particularly where higher trade restrictions are observed.

Soaring obesity rates make the US the fattest country in the OECD, with 36.5% of obese adults. Roughly 70% of US adults are overweight, which corresponds to the second highest rate in the OECD (just after Mexico, 71.3%).

Mr. Angel Gurría, Secretary-General of the OECD, will be in Washington on 12-13 June 2014 to present the 2014 OECD Economic Survey of the United States. While in Washington, the Secretary-General will deliver remarks at a seminar on Inclusive Growth hosted at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). He will also have meetings with high level US officials.

The enduring idea that the rising tide of economic growth lifts all boats is no longer a universal truth. In the US, even before the Great Recession, the poorest were steadily losing ground. Between 2000 and 2012 the average disposable income of the bottom 10% in the US fell by 14%, underlined the OECD Secretary-General.

Economic recovery in the United States is stronger than in most OECD countries, but it will remain sluggish unless new reforms are launched to boost growth, according to OECD’s latest Economic Survey of the United States.

Country notes highlight some key findings from TALIS 2013 for individual countries and economies

Gains made towards slowing health expenditure growth in the United States in recent years could be negated by price increases associated with the continuing economic recovery unless more efforts are made to contain spending, says a new OECD paper published in The Lancet.

The USA has exceptional levels of health-care expenditure, but growth slowed dramatically in recent years, amidst major efforts to close the coverage gap with other OECD countries.

PISA 2012 financial literacy results focusing on the performance of the United States among 17 other countries and economies who participated in the assessment: Australia, Belgium (Flemish Community), Shanghai-China, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Israel, Italy, Latvia, New Zealand, Poland, Russia, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, and Spain

The ability to measure innovation is essential to an improvement strategy in education. This country note analyses how the practices are changing within classrooms and educational organisations and how teachers develop and use their pedagogical resources.

OECD Secretary-General, Angel Gurría is pleased to announce the appointment of Ms. Catherine L. Mann as the new OECD Chief Economist. Her appointment will reinforce the OECD’s commitment to identifying and promoting better policies for better lives around the world.

Country notes with main key findings of the book and key fact tables: a customised snapshot of a country's educational environment, highlighting the most important issues in the educational landscape.

The proportion of adults in the U.S. population with a tertiary qualification is growing more slowly than in most OECD countries, while fewer Americans are achieving an educational level which is higher than that of their parents, a new OECD study finds.

A moderate expansion is underway in most major advanced and emerging economies, but growth remains weak in the euro area, which runs the risk of prolonged stagnation if further steps are not taken to boost demand, according to the OECD’s latest Interim Economic Assessment.

OECD Secretary-General was in New York from 22 to 25 to attend the United Nations Climate Summit, in which he moderated a panel discussion on “The Economic Case for Action”. He also held bilateral meetings with several world leaders attending the Summit and UN high level officials.

The UN Climate Summit took place on 23 September 2014 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The OECD's Secretary-General, Angel Gurría, chaired the session on "The Economic Case for Climate Action," where global leaders discussed The New Climate Economy Report: Better Growth, Better Climate, by the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate.

U.S. employers are demanding skilled workforces, but are not always able to find a local supply, says a new OECD study looking at Job Creation and Local Economic Development.

This publication highlights new evidence on policies to support job creation, bringing together the latest research on labour market, entrepreneurship and local economic development policy to help governments support job creation in the recovery. It also includes a set of country pages featuring, among other things, new data on skills supply and demand at the level of smaller OECD regions (TL3).

On the occasion of the OECD High Level Policy Forum on Migration taking place on December 1 and 2 2014, Secretary General Angel Gurria congratulates President Obama on taking action to address the unsustainable situation of undocumented immigrants.