News & Events

Education reduces probability of obesity

19-Jun-2009

OECD Health Working Paper No. 46 presents the findings of health survey data from Australia, Canada, England and Korea. It shows that education appears to be associated with a lower likelihood of obesity, especially among women. This is determined by at least three factors: greater access to and handling of health-related information; clearer perception of the risks associated with lifestyle choices; and improved self-control and consistency of preferences over time. The higher a person’s education relative to his or her peers’, the lower the probability of that person being obese.

France should prioritise the employment of disadvantaged young people

20-May-2009

France should do more to ease the transition of unskilled young people into employment. The government should give priority to helping young people the furthest removed from the job market and to strengthening the social protection of the most disadvantaged, according to a new report by the OECD.

Governments must do more to help most vulnerable amid rising unemployment, urges OECD

15-May-2009

Governments must urgently adapt their labour market policies to help their most vulnerable citizens in the economic crisis, as was concluded at the High-Level Forum on Sickness, Disability and Work in May 2009. Key to this will be avoiding that the crisis further strengthens a disability benefit culture that pushes many people with disability onto benefit schemes and out of work for the rest of their lives.

Aid in support of gender equality and women's empowerment 2006-2007

14-May-2009

This report with tables and charts summarizes statistics on aid focused on gender equality and women’s empowerment extended by each DAC member in 2006-2007.

Tax-Benefit calculator, out-of-work replacement rates and country specific files for 2007

05-May-2009

Statistics, country specific files and tax-benefit models and calculator, which provide detailed descriptions of all cash benefits available to those in and out of work as well as the taxes they were liable to pay in 29 OECD countries from 2007. "Benefits and Wages (2007) " is available. 

Seminar on Employment outcomes and inequality: Brazil, China and India

15-Apr-2009

The OECD Employment, Labour and Social Affairs Directorate and the OECD Development Centre jointly organised a seminar on "Employment outcomes and inequality: New evidence, Links and Policy responses in Brazil, China and India" which took place on the 8th April 2009 at the OECD Conference Centre. Based on an in-depth assessment of labour market trends in each of these countries, the seminar discussed policy options towards more and better jobs.

Employment: Is Informal Normal?

08-Apr-2009

Informal employment is at record levels worldwide with severe consequences for poverty in poor countries, according to Is Informal Normal?, a new report by the OECD Development Centre.

Chile should create more and better jobs to cut poverty and inequality, says OECD

06-Apr-2009

Chile should invest more in employment and active social policies in order to reduce its high levels of income inequality and poverty, according to a new OECD report.

Seminar on the Life Risks, Life Course and Social Policy

from 31-May-2007 to 01-Jun-2007

Identify how social and economic goals can best be achieved, for example by policy interventions at certain critical "transition points" or by redistribution of income from one point in the life course to another. How assess the best way of financing social policies across the life course. These issues were discussed by a range of experts and policy makers at a seminar held on Thursday 31 May - Friday 1st June 2007 in Paris.

OECD World Forum on Measuring and Fostering the Progress of Societies - Istanbul 27-30 June 2007

from 27-Jun-2007 to 30-Jun-2007

How can societies better measure their progress or setbacks? The question lies at the heart of a long-term OECD project to explore how the effective use of information can benefit democracy, empower individual citizens and stimulate a global debate on what progress means. See the webcast available at www.oecd.org/oecdworldforum/webcast

Workshop on Development Effectiveness in Practice – Applying the Paris Declaration to Advancing Gender Equality, Environmental Sustainability and Human Rights

This workshop was held in Dublin on 26-27 April 2007 and organised by the DAC Networks on Environment and Development, Governance, and Gender Equality and the Working Party on Aid Effectiveness, with the support of the Irish and Danish Governments. The purpose  was to increase mutual knowledge and understanding of how practitioners are applying the Paris Declaration’s overarching principles to advance gender equality, environmental sustainability and human rights. The long-term goal is to demonstrate how attention to these issues enhances development effectiveness.

Festival of Economics - “Human Capital, Social Capital”, Trento, Italy

from 30-May-2007 to 03-Jun-2007

The city of Trento hosted for the second time the Festival of Economics which focused this year on issues related to human and social capital.  The event was organised in cooperation with the OECD Trento Centre for Local Development.

We're not getting any younger...

on 06-May-2007

The world's population is ageing, and it's forcing us to make some tough choices about how we pay for our collective old age. Monika Queisser, OECD Senior Economist, was invited by Barry Thorne, to take part into the debate of the ageing population-themed edition of Amsterdam Forum (Copyright: www.radionetherlands.nl)

Seminar on labour market issues in Brazil, China and India

on 28-Mar-2007

Brazil, China and India represent a growing share of world GDP. They have also become more open to international trade and investment, thus creating new growth opportunities for OECD countries. It is therefore crucial that Brazil, China and India maintain a sustainable growth path, which depends to some extent on well-functioning labour markets. The purpose of the informal seminar was to gather expert views on labour market developments in Brazil, China and India.

Ask the economists: The pensions challenge - financing retirement

from 29-Mar-2007 to 05-Apr-2007

Is there a perfect pension scheme? Do people understand their pension systems?
A live online question and answer session on the issue of pension reform took place on Thursday 5 April.

Forum on the Restated OECD Jobs Strategy - Tokyo - 30-31 october 2006

from 30-Oct-2006 to 31-Oct-2006

As a follow-up to the High-level forum of Employment and Labour Ministers in Toronto in June 2006  , which welcomed the restated Jobs Strategy as a good basis for formulating policy, a Forum took place in Tokyo on 30-31 October 2006. Its purpose was to invite policy makers mainly from countries in the Asia-Pacific region to discuss:
i) the challenges of implementing the restated Jobs Strategy in OECD countries in the region; and
ii) the relevance of the restated Jobs Strategy for participating non-OECD countries

DARES-OECD Conference: The restated OECD Job Stategy: Diagnostic, limits and evidence for France

from 16-Nov-2006 to 17-Nov-2006

A conference, organised by the French Ministry of Labour in partnership with OECD, will examine the relevance of the Restated OECD Jobs Strategy for France. It took place in Paris on 16-17 November 2006. Speech made by the Secretary-General at this conference .

Seminar on "Trade unions and welfare", Trento, Italy

from 26-Oct-2006 to 27-Oct-2006

This seminar was organised in cooperation with INAS CISL and Fondazione Giulio Pastore. The event  presented and discussed the results of research addressing these issues undertaken in eight European countries: Italy, Spain, France, Germany, Belgium, Great Britain, Sweden and Poland.