Publications

This report reflects on the OECD’s co-operation with Africa on tax matters and the importance of the international tax agenda for African economies. It discusses Domestic Resource Mobilisation (DRM) efforts within African policy objectives and priorities, including the African Union’s Agenda 2063, and which actions should be taken to further increase DRM in Africa. The report analyses African involvement in discussions on corporate tax and how African participation in policy-setting and technical discussions could be further improved. In particular, it shows how African voices have shaped the design of the Two-Pillar Solution to Address the Tax Challenges Arising from the Digitalisation of the Economy, and discusses its benefits for African countries and challenges for implementation. In addition, the report provides an overview of OECD’s initiatives to support capacity building on tax in Africa, many of which are undertaken in partnership with other international and regional organisations. Finally, the report reflects on the broader tax policy agenda including VAT, tax transparency, tax and crime, digitalisation of tax administrations, and tax and informality. This report was prepared by the OECD to inform the discussions at the October 2023 Africa Roundtable in Marrakech hosted by G7 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors.

The world is marked by multiple crises and challenges that transcend borders and require not only local but global solutions. Only by working together and bridging divides and differences can countries address these challenges and drive a sustainable development future for all. This report by the OECD and the Islamic Development Bank demonstrates triangular co-operation’s relevance for delivering progress on sustainable development. In particular, it stresses its innovative approach to diplomacy, and its ability to bring together different stakeholders from across the global south and north in trusting partnerships that leverage the expertise, knowledge and resources of all partners. The report also examines the current global trends in the use of triangular co-operation, explores how to strengthen national ecosystems to support its effective delivery, and highlights how triangular co-operation can contribute to addressing climate change and biodiversity loss, with a specific focus on small island developing states.

Located in the state of Western Australia, the Pilbara is a large region and one of the least densely populated within the OECD. The Pilbara's mining sector is a top supplier of iron ore in the world, which has fuelled the economic growth of both the state and the country. While Pilbara’s industrialisation is relatively recent, dating back to the 1960s, First Nations peoples have inhabited the region for approximately 50 000 years. Despite the wealth generated by mining and extractive industries, the Pilbara faces important challenges to improve its attractiveness and well-being standards, especially for First Nations and non-mining workers. Well-being challenges also stifle growth opportunities and responsible mining investments in the region. The green transition presents the Pilbara with an opportunity to diversify its economy and improve well-being conditions of its communities, while becoming a strategic player in the global shift towards more sustainable mining. This study offers guidance on how the Pilbara can shape a more inclusive and sustainable development model that supports economic diversification and prioritises improving the living conditions of its communities, particularly First Nations.

The European Union is one of the world’s largest agro-food players. In an ever-changing economic and policy environment, the EU agro-food system has demonstrated its resilience and the ability to keep productivity growing. More needs to be done for the agricultural sector to improve its environmental sustainability performance in line with expectations. Policies for the Future of Farming and Food in the European Union applies the OECD Productivity, Sustainability and Resilience (PSR) analytical framework along with the latest data from the OECD Agri-Environmental Indicators to benchmark the sustainable productivity performance of the EU’s agricultural sector and to identify the main challenges ahead. The EU´s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is called to play an important role in implementing the European Green Deal’s vision and objectives. Responding to pressing environmental concerns will require redesigning CAP payments, addressing the implementation gap on sustainability, implementing an ambitious data and digitalisation strategy, and bringing innovation to the centre of the agricultural policy.

A megadiverse county, Costa Rica is known globally for its success in reversing deforestation and pursuing a growth model based on the sustainable use of its environmental resources. However, energy use and related greenhouse gas emissions increased in the last decade. Private cars are a major and growing source of emissions affecting climate and air quality. Waste disposal still relies on landfills, and much wastewater is untreated. Costa Rica’s extensive protected area network and pioneering programme of payments for ecosystem services have helped reduce biodiversity loss and extend forests’ carbon sequestration capacity. However, more should be done to tackle pressures on biodiversity from development of infrastructure and settlements, tourism, farming and fishing. The sheer scale of investment needed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals calls for improving the efficiency of public spending, mobilising private finance, strictly enforcing regulations and providing adequate incentives. This is the first OECD Environmental Performance Review of Costa Rica. It evaluates the country’s progress towards sustainable development, with a special chapter focusing on biodiversity, and provides 52 recommendations.

Antofagasta is a world leader in copper and lithium production, with strategic importance for the global energy transition and for the economic development of Chile. Located in north Chile, Antofagasta is carved by the natural contours of the Atacama Desert and home to diverse Indigenous communities. Despite the wealth brought by mining, communities in Antofagasta lag on a number of well-being dimensions. At the same time, Antofagasta’s mining industry is entering a new phase of development, driven by the expected surge in global demand for its minerals and the imperative to adapt to the green and digital transitions. Against this backdrop, a new development vision with a long-term strategy is warranted in the region to leverage mining benefits to improve well-being standards and take advantage of the opportunities brought by the digital and green transition in mining. This study presents the diagnosis, rationale and building blocks for a new mining strategy in the region of Antofagasta, Chile that prioritises well-being standards and opportunities for local communities. This medium and long-term strategy aims to create a new pact amongst different societal stakeholders to build trust and unite efforts for more inclusive and sustainable growth in the region.

Inflation indices – such as the national Consumer Price Indices (CPI) and the EU Harmonised Indices of Consumer Prices (HICP) – measure price changes for the overall economy, which may not reflect the inflation experience of an individual household or group of households. This paper contributes to previous studies of the distributive impact of recent high inflation in EU Member States. Producing more granular and recent results, this paper finds a substantial rise in effective inflation dispersion across households and confirms that lower-income households continue to experience higher inflation. This inflation gap remains even after energy prices have eased and when controlling for other household characteristics. Results also show that the distributive impact of inflation on household groups has varied over time, as changes in relative prices across the inflationary period have influenced the extent of the impact of inflation across population groups. Finally, differences in effective inflation rates have cumulated over time, particularly for households with lower-income and headed by people aged 60 years or more and with lower levels of education.

This report explores how institutional investors can apply risk-based due diligence as recommended by the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises on Responsible Business Conduct and help them prevent and mitigate adverse climate impacts associated with their investee companies on society and the environment. It provides practical recommendations on how to conduct due diligence as a way to connect climate commitments at portfolio level with real-economy impacts and draws on other frameworks and tools for assessing, managing or disclosing climate impacts associated with investments.

Over the last two decades, regional inequalities have remained significant, and have grown within many OECD countries. Impacts of recent shocks, including the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, and megatrends, threaten to widen these gaps between regions, deepening the longstanding geography of inequalities. This report, Regional Outlook 2023 – The Longstanding Geography of Inequalities, provides novel evidence on the evolution of inequalities between OECD regions across several dimensions (including income and access to services) over the past twenty years. It sheds light on the role of productivity to address regional inequalities. It also looks at the costs of regional inequalities, which can weaken the economic, social, and political fabric, and lead to a geography of discontent. Furthermore, the report explores forward-looking scenarios for regions as part of ongoing reflections to future-proof regional development policy and secure social cohesion. Finally, it provides a policy roadmap to guide governments’ efforts to reduce persistent regional inequalities now and in the future.

The OECD’s Development Assistance Committee (DAC) conducts peer reviews of individual members once every five to six years. Reviews seek to improve the quality and effectiveness of members’ development co-operation, highlighting good practices and recommending improvements. The Netherlands continues to focus on its strengths and drives internal reforms to achieve sustainable impact. It stays engaged in fragile contexts, providing long-term and flexible financing. It is highly valued as a champion for gender equality, provides strong support to local civil society and takes action to tackle spillovers from its economic footprint. This peer review provides recommendations to enhance the Netherlands’ engagement in partner countries by putting its ambition for locally led development into practice, ensuring its thematic approach is adapted to context, and clarifying its risk appetite. Reversing the trend of decreasing budgets was a significant achievement, but effects of in-donor refugee costs on the broader Dutch development programme need to be managed.