15 JULY 2011

HIGHLIGHTS

Migration falls again but will pick up with recovery, says International Migration Outlook 2011: Press release | Book announcement | Book on Online Bookshop | Book on OECD iLibrary

The Space Economy at a Glance 2011: Key Findings | Book on Online Bookshop | Book on OECD iLibrary

Stronger regions make for stronger nations says Regions at a Glance 2011: Press release | Interactive website | Book on Online Bookshop | Book on OECD iLibrary

OECD PUBLISHING NEWS

OECD Journal: General Papers and OECD Journal: Competition Law and Policy will both cease with the conclusion of the 2011 volume.

OECD Key Publications Catalogue, May 2011: Catalogue

OECD iLibrary: Brochure

OECD Subscription Prices for 2012 to appear in next issue.

OECD publications will be on exhibit at the following events in the coming months:

• Frankfurt Book Fair, 12-16 October 2011, Frankfurt, Germany
  
• Österreichischer Bibliothekartag, 18-21 October, Innsbruck, Austria
  

AGRICULTURE/FOOD/FISHERIES

Forthcoming
-Evaluation of Agricultural Policy Reforms in the European Union: Book listing
-International Standards for Fruit and Vegetables: Asparagus (These standards will no longer be sold. They will be offered free on request from the programme)
-OECD Green Growth Studies: Food and Agriculture

BUSINESS & MARKETS

Competitiveness and Private Sector Development: Republic of Moldova 2011: Fostering SME Development: Book on Online Bookshop | Book on OECD iLibrary

OECD Journal: Competition Law and Policy, Volume 11, Issue 3 includes article on competition and efficient usage of payment cards, competition and regulation in retail banking, and a country review of Argentina. Subscribe to the OECD Journal | View issue on OECD iLibrary

Mutual Anti-Money Laundering Evaluation of the State of Kuwait: Evaluation

Mutual Anti-Money Laundering Evaluation of the Sultanate of Oman: Evaluation

Forthcoming
-Risk Awareness, Capital Markets and Catastrophic Risks: Book listing
-Financial Market Trends, Volume 2010, Issue 2: Subscribe to the OECD Journal
-OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas: Book listing
-OECD Code of Liberalisation of Capital Movements 2011: Book listing
-Strengthening Latin American Corporate Governance: The Role of Institutional Investors: Book listing
-OECD Investment Policy Reviews: Ukraine 2011: Book listing

DEVELOPMENT

Arab and DAC donors deepen partnership: Press release

Getting Value for Money: Effective Aid, Effective Development : Article (PDF - 178 kb)

Forthcoming
-OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas: Book listing
-Development in Eastern Europe and the South Caucasus: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Republic of Moldova and Ukraine: Book listing

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS

Stronger regions make for stronger nations says Regions at a Glance 2011: Press release | Interactive website | Book on Online Bookshop | Book on OECD iLibrary

Strengthening domestic sources of growth would secure place as ‘Champions League’ economy says OECD Economic Surveys: Austria 2011: Press release | Book announcement | Book on Online Bookshop | Book on OECD iLibrary

Action needed on public finances, greener growth and access to job market says OECD Economic Surveys: Belgium 2011: Press release | Book announcement | Book on Online Bookshop | Book on OECD iLibrary

Rintaro Tamaki named as OECD Deputy Secretary-General: Press release

OECD Economics Department Working Papers:
-No. 875: The Effects of Downturns on Labour Force Participation
-No. 876: Estonia:  Making the Most of Globalisation
-No. 877: The Sharing of Macroeconomic Risk: Who Loses (and Gains) from Macroeconomic Shocks
-No. 878: Policies to Rebalance Housing Markets in New Zealand
-No. 879: Financial Sector Reform in India: Time for a Second Wave?

Forthcoming
-Future Global Shocks: Book listing

ECONOMIC STATISTICS

OECD annual inflation accelerates to 3.2% in May 2011: Press release

OECD GDP continued to grow in the first quarter of 2011 despite a marked slowdown in the contribution of private consumption: Press release

OECD unemployment rate stable at 8.1% in May: Press release

OECD composite leading indicators point to slowdown in most major economies: Press release

Forthcoming
-National Accounts of OECD Countries, General Government Accounts 2011: Book listing

EDUCATION

Against the Odds: Disadvantaged Students Who Succeed in School: Book announcement | Book on Online Bookshop | Book on OECD iLibrary

Reviews of National Policies for Education: Improving Lower Secondary Schools in Norway 2011: Book on Online Bookshop | Book on OECD iLibrary

Grade repetition - What does it mean for education systems? PISA in Focus #6 (PDF - 1.2 mb)

Educationtoday: OECD's collaborative space to help shape the post-crisis economy and society: Educationtoday

Forthcoming
-Designing for Education: Compendium of Exemplary Educational Facilities 2011: Book listing

EMPLOYMENT & SOCIAL AFFAIRS

Migration falls again but will pick up with recovery, says International Migration Outlook 2011: Press release | Book announcement | Book on Online Bookshop | Book on OECD iLibrary

Ensuring Labour Market Success for Ethnic Minority and Immigrant Youth: Working paper

Employment, Migration and Social Policy Newsletter, July-August 2011 features interesting data on long-term care in the US: Newsletter

Forthcoming
-Jobs Tasks, Works Skills and the Labour Market: Book listing

ENERGY

Energy Policies of IEA Countries – Hungary 2011 Review: Press release | Book on Online Bookshop | Book on OECD iLibrary

July Oil Market Report assesses impact of IEA stock release: Press release

Forthcoming
-Medium-Term Oil and Gas Markets 2011
-OECD Green Growth Studies: Energy
-Energy Statistics of OECD Countries 2011 (July 2011)
-Energy Balances of OECD Countries 2011 (July 2011)
-Oil Information 2011 (August 2011)
-Electricity Information 2011 (August 2011)
-Renewables Information 2011 (August 2011)
-Natural Gas Information 2011 (August 2011)
-Coal Information 2011 (August 2011)
-Energy Statistics of Non-OECD Countries 2011 (August 2011)
-Energy Balances of Non-OECD Countries 2011 (August 2011)

ENVIRONMENT

Forthcoming
-OECD Green Growth Studies: Energy
-OECD Green Growth Studies: Food and Agriculture

HEALTH

OECD Health Data Frequently Requested Data Spreadsheet files | Subscribe to Full Database | Database on OECD iLibrary

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY

Communiqué on Principles for Internet Policy-Making: Communiqué of OECD High-Level Meeting (PDF - 339 kb)

NUCLEAR ENERGY

NEA News, No. 29.1 includes articles on Fukushima, medical radioisotopes, regulatory oversight of licensee contractors and reversability and retrievability in radioactive waste management: NEA News (PDF - 3.81 mb)

PUBLIC MANAGEMENT

Stronger regions make for stronger nations says Regions at a Glance 2011: Press release | Interactive website | Book on Online Bookshop | Book on OECD iLibrary

Forthcoming:
-Lobbyists, Governments and Public Trust, Volume 2: Promoting integrity through Self-Regulation: Book listing
-OECD Public Governance Reviews: Estonia 2011: Towards a Single Government Approach: Book listing

SCIENCE , TECHNOLOGY & INDUSTRY

The Space Economy at a Glance 2011: Key Findings | Book on Online Bookshop | Book on OECD iLibrary

SMEs & ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Stronger regions make for stronger nations says Regions at a Glance 2011: Press release | Interactive website | Book on Online Bookshop | Book on OECD iLibrary

TAXATION

Ireland signs Multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters: Press release

Costa Rica expands its network for international exchange of tax information: Press release

Panama meets target for international exchange of tax information: Press release

Forthcoming:
-Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes Peer Reviews: Jersey 2011: Phases 1 & 2

TRADE

Latest export credits news: Webpage

TRANSPORTATION

Key Transport Statistics 2011: Report (PDF - 455 kb)

Car fleet renewal programmes in US, France, Germany fall short of their potential on emissions and safety benefits: Press release

FROM THE OECD INSIGHTS BLOG

The road to Buson
An editor I once worked for had a golden rule for his reporters and editors: We don’t do process. By that he meant that news stories should focus on what had happened, not the tedious ins and outs of how it had happened. Indeed, it may help to explain why there’s such a gap in public awareness regarding two of the landmark development declarations of the 2000s. The first, the Millennium Development Goals, is known worldwide. Under eight main headings, it sets down a series of anti-poverty goals to be attained by the year 2015, including a memorable pledge to cut by half the number of people living on less than a dollar a day. The second declaration is less well known, in part, perhaps, because it’s all process. The Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness is about the processes developing and developed countries should follow to achieve those goals. The message basically boils down to this: Development won’t happen sustainably unless developing countries themselves – and not donors – take the lead in setting priorities and coordinating activities. Read more

Bringing stability to Southern Sudan
The killing of nine Kenyans by a group of Southern Sudanese in a remote region of the Southern Sudan-Kenya border on 15 June serves as a potent reminder of the extremely volatile and potentially explosive nature of the nascent country’s international borders. Given the history of Southern Sudan and the often nomadic nature of many of the groups living on its periphery, its international borders have tended to be weakly defined. It is this lack of clear demarcation, coupled with the neglect regularly experienced by border-dwellers, that has the potential to destabilise Southern Sudan. The crux of the issue is that because nomadic pastoralism is their main livelihood and they live in regions increasingly prone to drought, these groups need to share dry season pasture and water points. Historically, conflict over this resource-sharing was managed and resolved locally, but state intervention has led to an escalation of the conflict, creating a ‘damned if you do, damned if you don’t’ scenario for the Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS). Read more

Dont trust everything you read
Journalism has attracted an impressive array of rascals and scallywags down the years, but nothing prepared public opinion for the utter immorality revealed in News of the World phone hacking scandal. Usually when the media use the word “shocked”, the rest of us would have said “mildly interested/amused”. This time though, it’s appropriate. There was genuine shock and anger on learning that the News of the World’s employees had deleted messages from the phone of a murdered child, giving her parents false hope that she was still alive and interfering with the police investigation. A common reaction is that the press, politicians and even the police have betrayed people’s trust. At first sight this seems bizarre.  Opinion surveys regularly show less faith in reporters than just about any other profession. Read more

Conflict minerals: Hands off is not a solution
Last month, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton chaired a meeting celebrating the OECD’s 50th anniversary where ministers from OECD and developing economies agreed on a set of practical recommendations that will keep minerals from becoming “conflict minerals”. And recently in Washington, there were an important series of events around conflict minerals bringing together 200 downstream companies to discuss approaches and take action to ensure responsible sourcing. In fragile African states, illegal exploitation of natural resources has fueled conflict across the region for a decade. While data is scarce, it is estimated that up to 80% of minerals in some of the worst-affected areas may be smuggled out — bound for use by jewelers, the automotive and aerospace industries, producers of medical devices and other manufacturers around the world. Read more