Reports

Twenty-first century governments must keep pace with the expectations of their citizens and deliver on the promise of the digital age. Data-driven approaches are particularly effective for meeting those expectations and rethinking the way governments and citizens interact. This report highlights the important role data can play in creating conditions that improve public services, increase the effectiveness of public spending and inform ethical and privacy considerations. It presents a data-driven public sector framework that can help countries or organisations assess the elements needed for using data to make better-informed decisions across public sectors.

This report examines the opportunities of enhancing access to and sharing of data (EASD) in the context of the growing importance of artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things. It discusses how EASD can maximise the social and economic value of data re-use and how the related risks and challenges can be addressed. It highlights the trade-offs, complementarities and possible unintended consequences of policy action – and inaction. It also provides examples of EASD approaches and policy initiatives in OECD countries and partner economies.

This report offers guidance on how to manage industrial transition and is directed towards all policymakers seeking to improve the 'what' and 'how' of policies that promote industrial change. It identifies how regions in industrial transition can become more competitive and more resilient in the context of major shifts brought about by globalisation, decarbonisation and ongoing technological change. It takes stock of discussions emanating from a series of peer-learning workshops jointly organised in 2018 by the European Commission and the OECD. The report presents a number of implementation tools that policymakers have at their disposal to activate regional innovation potential to help tackle these challenges and the often accompanying ones such as an unsuitable skills base, unemployment due to deindustrialisation, and limited investment opportunities. Bringing together economic analysis and regional and country practice from the participating regions and countries on the topics of the future of work, entrepreneurship, innovation, transitioning to a climate-neutral economy and inclusive growth, the report identifies cross-cutting lessons to help policy-makers better design the next generation of smart specialisation and regional innovation strategies.

The Austrian higher education system has consistently recognised the need to become more entrepreneurial and innovative with a view to supporting the economic, social and cultural development of the country and its regions. Over the past decades, the government has been implementing a broad reform agenda to provide strategic funding, diversify higher education institutions (HEIs) and promote an allocation of students that improves the quality of services and empowers them vis à vis the future of work and society. This review illustrates policy actions promoting the development of entrepreneurial and innovative activities in the Higher Education System and individual HEIs. In addition, based on information gathered during study visits, the review discusses strategies and practices adopted by Austrian HEIs to innovate, engage, and generate value for their own ecosystems and networks. The review is part of a series of national reports implementing the HEinnovate framework. HEinnovate is a holistic framework that the OECD and the European Commission have developed to promote the 'entrepreneurial and innovation agenda' in higher education.

In Brazil, as in other countries, innovation in the public sector is a core leadership challenge. Reflection is required on who these leaders are, what they should be able to do, and how they should be selected and held accountable to achieve results. This study establishes a new assessment framework for senior civil service (SCS) systems, based on the 2019 OECD Recommendation on Public Service Leadership and Capability. Using this framework, the study assesses Brazil’s current system and recommends specific actions to improve it. The report also contributes to a broader debate on public leadership competencies in public sector innovation, and the systems needed to appoint the most effective people and help them achieve results.

Governments must innovate if they are to be effective. In a world of change, a government that stands still will soon be overtaken by events and shifting citizen expectations. This report explores the past, present and possible future journey of the innovation system of the Brazilian public service. It outlines a systemic approach for innovation to mitigate existing biases, and identifies a range of options for the development of a consistent, deliberate and reliable approach to innovation in the public service of Brazil.

This volume compiles the consensus documents developed by the OECD Working Group for the Safety of Novel Foods and Feeds from 2015 to 2019. It deals with the composition of common bean, rice, cowpea and apple, four important crops for agriculture and food consumption worldwide. The science-based information collated here is intended for use during the regulatory assessment of food/feed products derived from modern biotechnology, i.e. issued from transgenic plants. Compositional considerations are provided for each species, including tables detailing the key nutrients, anti-nutrients, possible toxicants, allergens and other metabolites contained in the products. This essential information and solid data can be used in the comparative approach as part of the novel food/feed safety assessment. It should be of value to crop breeders and applicants for commercial uses of novel foods and feeds, to regulators and risk assessors in national authorities, as well as the wider scientific community. More information can be found at BioTrack Online.