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This edition of the Reader’s Companion accompanies Skills Matter: Additional Results from the Survey of Adult Skills that reports the results from the 39 countries and regions that participated in the 3 rounds of data collection in the first cycle of PIAAC, with a particular focus on the 6 countries that participated in the third round of the study (Ecuador, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Peru and the United States). It describes the design and methodology of the survey and its relationship to other international assessments of young students and adults. The Survey of Adult Skills, a product of the OECD Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), was designed to provide insights into the availability of some key skills in society and how they are used at work and at home. The first survey of its kind, it directly measures proficiency in several information-processing skills – namely literacy, numeracy and problem solving in technology-rich environments.

How can members of the DAC effectively tackle critical environmental challenges and threats – such as climate change, pollution, and loss of soil fertility and biodiversity – in activities supporting the 2030 Agenda in developing countries? Most already have environmental safeguards in place to screen out negative environmental practice, but they need far more robust policies, capacities and approaches for mainstreaming environment across all their development co-operation activities. This report examines five critical areas for mainstreaming: strong policy commitment and leadership; robust systems, processes and tools; capacity and continuous skill development; shared knowledge, learning and engagement; well-supported country systems. On that basis, the report suggests priority actions for the OECD-DAC, its Network on Environment and Development (ENVIRONET) and the wider development community.

The OECD's Development Assistance Committee (DAC) conducts periodic reviews of the individual development co-operation efforts of DAC members. The policies and programmes of each DAC member are critically examined approximately once every five years. DAC peer reviews assess the performance of a given member, not just that of its development co-operation agency, and examine both policy and implementation. They take an integrated, system-wide perspective on the development co-operation and humanitarian assistance activities of the member under review. This review commends Sweden for its consistently generous levels of official development assistance and its global development leadership on peace and conflict prevention, environmental sustainability and gender equality. It also welcomes Sweden’s strong focus on and comprehensive toolbox for leaving no one behind. The review suggests that Sweden could benefit from consolidating its development co-operation policy framework and further enhancing the connections between its country, regional and thematic co-operation strategies.

This digital government review asseses the state of data-driven policies and initiatives in the Swedish public sector. It explores the underlying institutional governance and co-ordination arrangements for digital government in the country, and their impact on policy implementation. It also discusses data-sharing and managing initiatives, data governance and open government data practices. The review looks at how Sweden could better share knowledge, promote innovation and improve collaboration both across the public sector and with external stakeholders. Finally, it highlights how the government can use data to build a closer relationship with citizens in order to address policy challenges, improve public service delivery, and, ultimately, strengthen public trust.

The Swedish economy is innovative and rich in intellectual property (IP), with nearly every industry either producing or using IP. Swedish innovative industries are also export-dependent and very deeply integrated in the global economy, through active participation in global value chains. At the same time, the threats of counterfeiting and piracy are growing – and Sweden is vulnerable. This report measures the direct economic effects of counterfeiting on Swedish industry, government and consumers. It examines both the impact of the imports of fake products to Sweden and – more importantly – the impact of the global trade in fake products that infringe on the IP rights of Swedish innovative companies.

Sweden is leading the way towards a low-carbon society. In recent years, the country has adopted an energy and climate framework with ambitious long‑term and interim goals, including a target of 100% renewable energy in electricity generation by 2040. In this review of Sweden’s energy policies, the International Energy Agency (IEA) looks at how the country is managing its energy transition, as well as how this transition affects energy security. Sweden’s electricity system – based on nuclear, hydro and a growing share of wind power – is nearly fossil‑free. The country, which is well interconnected with its neighbours, has become a large net exporter of electricity. However, the power sector faces uncertainty from the likely phase‑out of nuclear within the next few decades. The challenge will be to maintain stability while more variable forms of renewable energy enter the system to replace nuclear power. Sweden’s energy policies give preference to technology‑neutral measures and market mechanisms, with the aim to reduce emissions in a cost‑effective way. Carbon taxation in particular has been an effective driver of decarbonisation, and Sweden has showed that high environmental taxes can be combined with sustained economic growth. As the electricity and heat supply is largely decarbonised, the main challenge for Sweden is to reduce emissions in the transport sector, which gets special attention in the review. In this report, the IEA provides recommendations for further improvements of Sweden’s energy policy to help the country continue to transform its energy sectors in a secure, affordable and environmentally sustainable manner.