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09-Apr-2008
The potential to strengthen productivity growth and enhance consumer welfare through more competition is large in the energy and railway sectors. Lowering entry barriers, including through the option of stronger forms of vertical separation between network access provision and potentially competitive services will be the main challenge for Germany going forward. In particular, it will be a crucial point in designing the envisaged privatisation of state stakes in the railway sector market incumbent Deutsche Bahn AG.
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09-Apr-2008
The aim of the recent healthcare reform was to increase the sustainability of healthcare finances, by reducing its negative impact on employment and increasing cost-effectiveness via enhanced competition. Higher budget contributions will help decouple healthcare finances from labour income a bit, if and once they materialise. An improved risk adjustment between insurers could reduce incentives for risk selection, raising chances for competition to lead to more cost-effectiveness instead.
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09-Apr-2008
Labour market outcomes are improving rapidly in the current upswing, also reflecting previous reform efforts. To make those improvements more lasting, but also to widen the positive effects, further reform efforts should focus on: i) raising the number of hours worked per person employed; ii) reducing the high share of long-term unemployed; and iii) further increasing employment rates of older workers.
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09-Apr-2008
Improving education outcomes is important for Germany’s long-term economic performance and social cohesion. While student achievement is above the OECD average in science and at the OECD average in reading and mathematics according to the 2006 OECD PISA study, weaker students tend to do badly by international comparison and socio-economic and/or immigrant backgrounds have a large impact. Another problem is that the proportion of younger people that completes tertiary education is relatively low. The authorities are undertaking reforms touching all levels of education.
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19-Feb-2008
The Danish pension system is well-developed and almost unique in the OECD. This report suggests that there may be scope to increase choice and flexibility in the pension system. However, the key policy challenge is to reform capital taxation outside pension savings.
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19-Feb-2008
Sustaining universal tax-financed healthcare is feasible, this report argues. But it requires strong efficiency gains, cost-saving treatment practices and willingness to reduce Denmark’s extensive public funding for long-term care. Finally, the health system should become more responsive, early on, to help avoid that sickness leads to prolonged detachment from the labour market.
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19-Feb-2008
Four out of ten full-time employed face a marginal tax wedge of more than 70% resulting from labour contributions plus income and consumption taxes combined. Tax reform could mitigate an ageing-related decline in hours worked, and contribute to fiscal sustainability, this report argues. But it requires that cuts focus on the worst distortions and are appropriately financed.
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19-Feb-2008
In August 2007, the Danish government presented its new medium-term fiscal framework: the 2015 Strategy. It is remarkable for holding up fiscal sustainability as an overarching objective for budgeting and government policies. Nevertheless, clearer mechanisms are needed to prevent spending overruns in regional and local authorities, this report argues.
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19-Feb-2008
D'après l'Étude, les politiques actives du marché du travail et les réformes des régimes de prestations ont joué un rôle clé dans le recul du chômage structurel. Pour préserver les gains d'emplois réalisés récemment, les autorités devront s'attacher davantage à améliorer le rapport coût-efficacité des politiques d'activation, et à faire en sorte que les prestations de chômage incitent clairement leurs bénéficiaires à tirer le meilleur parti des mesures d'activation.
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31-Jan-2008
The Dutch public finances are generally in a good condition. Following the breach of the 3% limit in 2003, an impressive fiscal consolidation programme brought the budget successfully back into surplus in 2006. Nevertheless, securing fiscal sustainability is still an issue.
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