Taken together, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia and South Africa – the “BIICS” – have been an
important engine for world growth, and they account for a growing share of global output. However,
further reforms will be needed to ensure catch-up to OECD GDP per capita levels over the long term. This
paper uses the OECD’s Going for Growth framework, as well as other available evidence linking policies
to economic performance, to identify key structural policy challenges in the BIICS for the years ahead.
While such challenges vary from country to country, common areas for reform include strengthening
policies in the areas of education, product market regulation and labour markets, as well as improving
more basic market institutions.
This Working Paper relates to the OECD’s Economic Policy Reforms: Going for Growth 2010
(www.oecd.org/goingforgrowth) and the Economic Surveys of China, India, South Africa, Indonesia, and
Brazil (www.oecd.org/eco/surveys)
