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The inaugural OECD Survey on Drivers of Trust in Public Institutions carried out in 2021 ('Trust Survey') is a novel measurement tool supporting OECD governments in reinforcing democratic processes, improving governance outcomes, and, correspondingly, strengthening people’s trust in their democratic government. This paper provides the technical details of the surveying process for the inaugural OECD Trust Survey, including its coverage and sample design. The paper also reviews the methodological aspects of the survey to provide an account of the progress made in measuring trust in public institutions cross-country, with respect to previous projects and recommendations included in the OECD Guidelines for Measuring Trust. Finally, it proposes the continuation of the survey in the future, highlights potential areas for improvement in cross-country comparability and for continued cooperation with National Statistical Offices.

Public procurement represents a major share of government spending. Even though adequate regulatory and strategic frameworks exist, the uptake of responsible business conduct considerations in public procurement is relatively low. Given the relevance of the economic argument for governments, this paper provides insights for policy makers and practitioners on the economic benefits of integrating responsible business conduct in public procurement supply chains. It analyses both direct and indirect economic benefits, and looks into the broader impact on businesses and individuals beyond national borders.

This report provides an analysis of the framework in place to strengthen the transparency and integrity of lobbying in Quebec, Canada. The report also assesses the reform project proposed by the Commissioner of Lobbying in 2019, by benchmarking it against the OECD Recommendation on Principles for Transparency and Integrity in Lobbying, as well as good practices in OECD countries. The report highlights how to address governance concerns related to lobbying, and identifies concrete and tailored solutions to further strengthen a culture of transparency and integrity in the policy-making process.

Italy's National Action Plan for Policy Coherence for Sustainable Development (PCSD) brings together the institutional mechanisms, evaluation frameworks and coherence tools needed to integrate sustainable development into government policy making. This Action Plan shows how to streamline existing mechanisms to improve policy coherence across levels of government and to involve civil society more closely in policy formulation. It also suggests how to make the most of complementarities across existing data collection efforts. The Action Plan includes suggestions for better linking mandates across departments and levels of government to avoid overlap and make greater progress in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Finally, it provides targets and measurable processes for each action to help track progress.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had devastating effects on lives, the economy, and the public finances worldwide, drawing attention to the need to enhance resilience to future shocks. This paper focuses on subnational governments, given their important and growing role in the provision of essential public goods and services worldwide. The paper discusses key aspects of subnational resilience, in particular the sensitivity of subnational finances to macroeconomic cycles and shocks and the availability of fiscal buffers; the main factors influencing subnational governments’ ability to provide essential services during crises; and their ability to anticipate and prepare for future shocks, especially those related to climate change. The paper also discusses policy and institutional reform options for both national and the subnational governments to strengthen subnational resilience.

Laws and regulations affect the daily lives of businesses and citizens. It is important that they are designed in a way that takes account of their social, environmental and business impacts and ensures they remain relevant in today’s fast-changing context. The second edition of the Better Regulation Practices across the European Union report analyses recent developments and current practices for improving the quality of laws and regulations across all 27 EU Member States and the European Union. Using the OECD Indicators of Regulatory Policy and Governance, the report systematically assesses the use of evidence-based tools and stakeholder participation in the design and review of both domestic and EU laws and regulations, and provides a detailed assessment of the application of the proportionality principle. The report presents good regulatory practices and highlights areas that should receive further attention and investment.

The OECD report Urban-Rural Linkages in Poland analyses the potential of urban and rural territories for development and improved well-being. Urban and rural areas have different yet often complementary assets, and their better integration is important for socio-economic and environmental performance. The report argues that local governments need to engage in partnerships where all parties are equal, as a higher form of urban-rural co-operation. Building urban-rural partnerships in Poland would help territories enhance the production of public goods; achieve economies of scale in public service provision; co-ordinate decisions where cross-boundary effects are important and increase the capacity of the partners. Yet a lack of trust and of policy integration hinder the effectiveness of partnerships. The report found that the main incentive for Polish local governments to enter into a partnership is access to EU funds. However, while Poland has developed solid experience in the management of EU funds, it would benefit from deepening the integration and complementarity among funding streams. Moreover, the report argues that strengthening metropolitan governance will underpin efforts to facilitate the formation and management of urban-rural partnerships.

Young people have demonstrated resilience to shocks and led positive change in their communities across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Young people (aged under 30) constitute more than half (55%) of the population across MENA, compared with 36% of the population across OECD countries. While challenges vary significantly across the region, youth unemployment rates are among the highest in the world, young people tend to express low trust in public institutions, and nearly four in ten live in fragile and conflicted-affected areas. The COVID-19 crisis has underscored the need to place the needs of young people at the centre of an inclusive and resilient recovery. To support this process, this report analyses current governance arrangements and practices across 10  MENA governments in three areas: 1) uniting all government stakeholders to implement a shared, integrated youth policy and deliver services to young people; 2) building administrative and institutional capacities to mainstream the perspectives of young people in policy making; and 3) encouraging the participation and representation of young people and youth stakeholders in public and political life.

The study is part of the OECD work stream Preparing Regions for Demographic Change, a megatrend that affects several important dimensions of public policy. The following three of them are particular relevant for Korea’s regions and rural places: (i) workforce dimension, (ii) social dimension and (iii) governance dimension. The report consists of three chapters. The first chapter depicts and benchmarks demographic trends in Korea regions against other regions from OECD countries. The second chapter examines a range of policies that can address socio-economic challenges related to demographic trends across the OECD and describes Korea’s current policy approach to manage demographic decline and ageing in regions and rural places. The third chapter identifies recommendations for Korea that can help respond to current economic and demographic trends, and ensure social cohesion. It suggests Korea should aim to develop a clear national rural development strategy, tailor labour policies to rural areas, support rural entrepreneurship, rural SME and the social economy, promote rural innovation and foster local governments’ and communities’ capacity to respond to demographic challenges.

Over the past decade, the United Kingdom has reduced several environmental pressures while growing its economy. Ahead of its presidency of the 2021 UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties, it has led the way by raising its national ambition. However, air pollution, deteriorating natural assets and missed biodiversity targets are all concerns. Further efforts are needed to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, prepare for climate change, reverse biodiversity loss and ensure a more resource-efficient circular economy. Strengthening co‑ordination between the United Kingdom and devolved governments, as well as enhancing coherence between sectoral and environmental policies will be key. This is the third Environmental Performance Review of the United Kingdom. It evaluates progress towards green growth, with a special chapter focusing on waste, materials management and the circular economy.