Boosting investment in infrastructure and logistics, further liberalising the network industries, improving investment in human and knowledge-based capital to allow upgrading in the global value chains will be essential to enhance export performance.

The German economy has steadily recovered from the 2008 global crisis. Thanks to past reforms, the labour market has proved strong and export performance has been impressive.

Non-residential investment has fallen over the past 20 years as a share of GDP and is now lower than in several other high-income OECD countries.

This paper explores the extent to which “zombie” firms – defined as old firms that have persistent problems meeting their interest payments – are stifling labour productivity performance.

This paper explores the extent to which “zombie” firms – defined as old firms that have persistent problems meeting their interest payments – are stifling labour productivity performance.

Well-known global companies such as Google, Apple and Amazon of the digital era as well as more traditional ones of the likes of BMW, L’Oreal and Nestlé have recorded impressive productivity gains over the 2000s as they created more and more revenue per employee. At the same time, aggregate productivity growth in the OECD – that reflects the performance of all businesses not just the few most successful ones – has stagnated.

Almost 10 years after the outset of the financial crisis in summer 2008, European growth remains modest, constantly underperforming the OECD average.

With persisting slower growth worldwide and in China, over-capacity in some heavy industry sectors, declining profitability, and intensifying competition from other, lower-cost emerging economies, corporate behaviour in China needs to change and focus more on efficiency and sustainability.

A key priority in China’s "new normal" period -- where returns on investment are slackening -- is corporate governance, which could lead to enhanced productivity by a better management of resources at the firm level.

Switzerland is among the leaders in many global rankings including on R&D, innovation, infrastructure, universities and competitiveness. It is well integrated in global value chains, specialised in some high-value-added activities and home of many large multinationals. These factors should contribute to high, and rising, labour productivity.

This paper investigates if higher public spending in education and better teacher qualifications are related to student’s performance, using data from Saber 11, a national standardized test conducted by Instituto Colombiano para la Evaluación de la Educación.

Chile’s export growth has disappointed over the past two decades. In particular, exports of goods and services - in volume - have only grown at 1.1% annually over 2009-17 and at around 2.0% for non-copper products and services, compared to 4.2% in the average Latin American country.

This paper exploits a new database that is unique in its scale and scope containing detailed information on over two million projects carried out by one million firms that benefited from the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund and the Cohesion Fund in 25 EU member countries during the multi-annual financial framework 2007-2013.

Chicago is at a tipping point: despite economic strengths, it faces considerable challenges to compete in the “Premier League” of world-class cities, warns the OECD’s review of the Chicago Tri-State Metropolitan Region.

Intergovernmental fiscal frameworks usually reflect fundamental societal choices and history and are not foremost geared towards achieving economic policy objectives. Yet, like most institutional arrangements, fiscal relations affect the behaviour of firms, households and governments and thereby economic activity.

This workshop served to discuss how benchmarking and measuring regulatory performance can help advance a regulatory policy at the sub-national level.

Workshop held in The Hague on 17-18 June 2014 to evaluate stakeholder engagement in regulatory policy

Measuring regulators’ performance can strengthen the contribution of regulatory policies to sustainable growth and development. While measuring a regulator’s performance is a fundamental function of a “world class” regulator, it is challenging, starting with the definition of what should be measured and including the attribution of outcomes to regulators’ actions and the availability of robust and evidence-based evaluation

A new OECD/ EUIPO study maps counterfeit trade routes, and they’re complicated, writes Bill Below from the OECD Directorate for Public Governance.

This report provides an overview of national practices towards performance evaluation and management of state-owned enterprises in 11 Asian economies: Bhutan, People’s Republic of China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Korea, Myanmar, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore and Viet Nam.

Imports of Chemicals, Perfumes and Cosmetics in France decreased to 3737 EUR Million in March from 3772 EUR Million in February of 2020. Imports of Chemicals, Perfumes and Cosmetics in France averaged 3208.78 EUR Million from 2000 until 2020, reaching an all time high of 4188 EUR Million in March of 2012 and a record low of 1902 EUR Million in August of 2003. This page includes a chart with historical data for France Import: Chemicals, Perfumes And Cosmetics.

Exports of Chemicals, Perfumes and Cosmetics in France increased to 5188 EUR Million in March from 4941 EUR Million in February of 2020. Exports of Chemicals, Perfumes and Cosmetics in France averaged 3942.93 EUR Million from 2000 until 2020, reaching an all time high of 5488 EUR Million in March of 2019 and a record low of 2345 EUR Million in December of 2001. This page includes a chart with historical data for France Export: Chemicals, Perfumes And Cosmetics.

Services PMI in Australia decreased to 27.10 points in April from 38.70 points in March of 2020. Services PMI in Australia averaged 50.03 points from 2003 until 2020, reaching an all time high of 63 points in June of 2018 and a record low of 27.10 points in April of 2020. The Australian Industry Group Australian Performance of Services Index (Australian PSI®) is a leading indicator of services activity in the Australian economy. The Australian PSI is a seasonally adjusted national composite index based on the diffusion indices for sales, orders/new business, deliveries, inventories and employment with varying weights. An Australian PSI® reading above 50 points indicates that services activity is generally expanding; below 50, that it is declining. The distance from 50 is indicative of the strength of the expansion or decline. Results are based on a sample of around 200 companies each month. This page provides the latest reported value for - Australia Performance Services Index - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Imports - Essential Oils & Purfume Materials,Toilet Preparation in Japan increased to 38763.94 JPY Million in March from 33230.93 JPY Million in February of 2020. Imports - Essential Oils & Purfume Materials,Toile in Japan averaged 21725.64 JPY Million from 1988 until 2020, reaching an all time high of 46252.88 JPY Million in July of 2019 and a record low of 4393.67 JPY Million in February of 1988. This page includes a chart with historical data for Japan Imports of Essential Oils & Purfume Materials,toi.

Arthur J. Bressan’s re-released film has charm and poignancy

A formidable film actor in an industry in thrall to its movie stars

While Google, Facebook and Twitter are set for a grilling in Congress over Russia, it is the online retailer that is drawing intense scrutiny

Spoken word is a form of poetry usually written to be performed in front of an audience, and often associated with hip hop culture. In recent years its popularity has soared in the UK – and now, as part of the London Literature Festival, the Southbank Centre is hosting the final of “Shake the Dust”, a national poetry slam for teenagers. So, what’s the difference between “page” and “stage” poetry? Does spoken word have a political bent? And can poets hope to change anything? Jan Dalley puts these questions to the poet, rapper and playwright Kate Tempest; poet and artistic director of the “Shake The Dust” Jacob Sam-La Rose; and critic Suzi Feay. Produced by Griselda Murray Brown  

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A pocket symphony, “Surf’s Up” was written by Brian Wilson at the peak of his creative brilliance. David Cheal discusses the Beach Boy who didn’t surf, and how he caught the wave of emerging 1960s counterculture. Credits: Capital Catalog, Smog Veil Records  

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Which conferences are worth your time and money? Here’s how to decide

The pound has soared more than 2 per cent in its biggest rise since 2017 after an exit poll has projected a strong victory for Boris Johnson’s Conservative party.

European Commission and MEPs warn regulator over watering down Priips performance scenarios decried as misleading

UBS drops to second spot while Invesco slips to third in Z-Ben analysis of investment market

After years of economic pain, Greece is in an upbeat mood. But can the country’s fresh political leadership overcome deep-seated problems holding back growth? Katie Martin discusses this question with Kerin Hope in Athens and Ben Hall, Europe editor.

Contributors: Katie Martin, capital markets editor, Kerin Hope, Athens correspondent, and Ben Hall, Europe editor. Producers: Persis Love and Fiona Symon

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Victory for Iran's hardliners in this month’s parliamentary elections has come at the cost of a despondent population suffering under the weight of renewed US sanctions. With the future of the nuclear deal in doubt and isolationist leaders in the ascendant, Andrew England, Middle East editor, and Najmeh Bozorgmehr, Tehran correspondent, discuss what happens next.

Contributors: Andrew England, Middle East editor, and Najmeh Bozorgmehr, Tehran correspondent. Producers: Fiona Symon and Mehrnosh Khalaj.

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EY highlights significance of litigation finance company’s action against Argentine oil group

The biggest brand launch since the Pink Lady is changing the nature of the fruit

The video app loved by teenagers is powered by artificial intelligence and protectionism

Crises have inspired classics of literature — so is the great Covid-19 novel already under way?

Why, from an investment perspective, Covid-19 suppression is the equivalent of kicking the can down the road.

It is the deepest, broadest, most liquid market for larger global businesses

Case linked to 2012 nationalisation of oil company proves tricky for litigation funder

The days of the big product event are on hold for the foreseeable future. Until then, a big blog post will have to do. A day after announcing that Microsoft would be shifting focus away from dual-screen devices, Chief Product Officer Panos Panay took to the company’s Devices blog to show off a slew of […]

The original Go was a mostly well-received addition to the Surface line when it arrived in late 2018. It was a nice, pint-sized alternatively, positioned fairly well to serve as a secondary device for some. It did the convertible double duty and traveled well, but otherwise was lacking in guts and versatility. Launching at the […]

The UK prime minister’s brush with death has deepened his ties with voters

Accessory maker TwelveSouth has a solid lineup of gadgets, many of which fill a niche that their products uniquely address — and address remarkably well. The AirFly Pro ($54.99) is a new iteration on one of those, providing a way to connect Bluetooth headphones to any audio source with a 3.5mm headphone jack. It’s being […]

Amazon is in hot water with a powerful congressional committee interested in the company’s potentially anticompetitive business practices. In a bipartisan letter sent Friday to Jeff Bezos, the House Judiciary committee demanded that the Amazon CEO explain discrepancies between his own prior statements and recent reporting from The Wall Street Journal. Specifically, the letter addressed […]

It’s admittedly difficult to have a comparative conversation about the iPhone SE. This device isn’t really in the same neighborhood as the iPhone 11, even though it’s furnished with the same plush carpeting and fluffy armchairs. The iPhone SE is a value offering. Even though I will use comparatives throughout this piece to help put […]

Machine learning ops focuses on the ML model and datasets, as opposed to code. Data engineers run MLOps, but it’s likely that the specialized role of MLOps engineer will come about soon.

Ruffer precious metal and Baillie Gifford tech vehicles shine during market turbulence