This paper highlights the growth in support for financial instruments for seed and early-stage firms across OECD countries. These instruments include grants, loans and guarantee schemes, tax incentives and equity funds. This increased support is linked to the recent financial crisis and the growing concern about young firms’ access to finance.

The productivity compendium provides data and methodological notes and describes the measurement challenges and the data choices that were made, as well as the remaining measurement problems.

This survey was presented at the Informal ministerial meeting on responsible business conduct held in Paris on 26 June 2014.

Squeezed R&D budgets in the EU, Japan and US are reducing the weight of advanced economies in science and technology research, patent applications and scientific publications and leaving China on track to be the world’s top R&D spender by around 2019, according to a new OECD report.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are fundamental for inclusive growth and jobs, but they need to broaden their sources of finance in order to reduce their vulnerability to volatile credit market developments, according to two new OECD reports.

Encouraging entrepreneurship among disadvantaged groups can help boost jobs and tackle social exclusion, according to a new joint report by the OECD and European Commission.

Financing for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) has turned the corner from the downswing seen during the global financial crisis, but overall credit conditions remain challenging and access to external finance continues to be much tighter for SMEs than larger firms, according to a new OECD report.

Productivity growth – the central driver of rising economic output and material living standards – has been slowing in many advanced and emerging economies in the wake of the crisis, according to new data released today in the OECD Compendium of Productivity Indicators.

A decline in government funding of science and technology research in a number of countries could pose a threat to innovation at a time when global challenges like climate change and ageing populations demand solutions, according to a new OECD report.

Lending volumes and credit conditions for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have gradually improved, according to a new report from the OECD, but demand-side obstacles such as a lack of financial knowledge are contributing to holding back a stronger recovery.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are increasingly turning to alternative sources of financing, while new bank lending is declining in a number of countries. Many SMEs remain over-reliant on bank credit, however, and the take-up of instruments other than straight debt varies greatly from one country to another, according to a new OECD report.

29/03/2018 - The OECD Working Party on Responsible Business Conduct is seeking candidates for a new Chairs to assist in implementing and promoting the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are turning to non-bank financing sources at a faster pace than in the past, as bank lending to them has risen less than expected given today’s favourable credit conditions and business environment.

The objective of this paper is to shed light on some of the determinants of success in early-stage venture capital financing bids. In particular, the work focuses on the effect of founders’ gender on investors’ funding decisions. Results from empirical analysis show that start-ups with at least one woman in the team of founders are less likely to receive funding by 5-10%.

This report presents a new set of indicators that measure the sustainable development impacts of foreign direct investment (FDI) in host countries. The new metrics focus on five clusters derived from the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): productivity and innovation; employment and job quality; skills; gender equality; and, the carbon footprint.

This highlights booklet presents a new set of indicators that measure the sustainable development impacts of foreign direct investment (FDI) in host countries. The new metrics focus on five clusters derived from the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): productivity and innovation; employment and job quality; skills; gender equality; and, the carbon footprint. This study is an important element of the OECD Action Plan on the SDGs.

This note presents key findings for Hungary from Society at a Glance 2014 - OECD Social indicators. This 2014 publication also provides a special chapter on: the crisis and its aftermath: a “stress test” for societies and for social policies.

Hungary was hit harder by the global crisis than most OECD countries. Unemployment reached record levels at the peak of the crisis but has since recovered to its pre-crisis level around the current OECD average of 8%.

Going for Growth 2015: Key findings for Hungary

The Hungarian economy has expanded strongly in recent years, helped by robust exports and firm domestic demand. But incomes are among the lowest in the OECD and structural reforms will be needed to sustain growth over the medium term, strengthen business investment and better match skills to labour market needs, according to a new OECD report.

This country note provides an environmental tax and carbon pricing profile for Hungary. It shows environmentally related tax revenues, taxes on energy use and effective carbon rates.

This country note presents student performance in science, reading and mathematics, and measures equity in education in Hungary. The interactive charts allow you to compare results with other countries participating in the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).

This note presents marginal effective tax rates (METRs) that summarise the tax system’s impact on the incentives to make an additional investment in a particular type of savings. By comparing METRs on different types of household savings, we can gain insights into which assets or savings types receive the most favourable treatment from the tax system.

This country note for Hungary provides detail on the proportion of CO2 emissions from energy use subject to different effective carbon rates (ECR), as well as on the level and components of average ECRs in each of the six economic sectors (road transport, off-road transport, industry, agriculture and fishing, residential & commercial, and electricity).

The digital revolution, globalisation and demographic changes are transforming labour markets at a time when policy makers are also struggling with slow productivity and wage growth and high levels of income inequality. The new OECD Jobs Strategy provides a comprehensive framework and policy recommendations to help countries address these challenges.

The Hungarian standard VAT rate is 27.0%, which is above the OECD average. The average VAT/GST¹ standard rate in the OECD was 19.3% as of 1 January 2019. The previous standard VAT rate in Hungary was 25% in 2011. It changed to the current level in 2012. Hungary applies reduced VAT rates of 5% and 18% to a number of goods and services.

This country note explains how Hungary taxes energy use. The note shows the distribution of effective energy tax rates across all domestic energy use. It also details the country-specific assumptions made when calculating effective energy tax rates and matching tax rates to the corresponding energy base.

The tax-to-GDP ratio in Hungary decreased by 1.6 percentage points from 38.2% in 2017 to 36.6% in 2018. The corresponding figure for the OECD average was a slight increase of 0.1 percentage point from 34.2% to 34.3% over the same period.

The tax wedge for the average single worker in Hungary decreased by 0.4 percentage points from 45.0 in 2018 to 44.6 in 2019. The OECD average tax wedge in 2019 was 36.0 (2018, 36.1). In 2019 Hungary had the 6th highest tax wedge among the 36 OECD member countries, occupying the same position in 2018.

Around one in five adults in France are obese. While this is below the OECD average, obesity still has a significant impact. The French live on average 2.3 years less due to overweight. Overweight accounts for 4.9% of health expenditure; and lowers labour market outputs by the equivalent of 671 thousand full time workers per year. Combined, this means that overweight reduces France’s GDP by 2.7%.

This country note explains how France taxes energy use. The note shows the distribution of effective energy tax rates across all domestic energy use. It also details the country-specific assumptions made when calculating effective energy tax rates and matching tax rates to the corresponding energy base.

France spends just over 11% of its GDP on health, one of the highest shares among OECD countries, and is projected to spend up to 13% of its GDP by 2030. This spending has contributed to good health outcomes, with life expectancy at birth two years above the OECD average. One in four adults still smoke daily and alcohol consumption remains about 30% higher than the OECD average.

The tax-to-GDP ratio in France did not change between 2017 and 2018. The tax-to-GDP ratio remained at 46.1%. The corresponding figure for the OECD average was a slight increase of0.1 percentage points from 34.2% to 34.3% over the same period.

The tax wedge for the average single worker in France decreased by 0.3 percentage points from 47.0 in 2018 to 46.7 in 2019. The OECD average tax wedge in 2019 was 36.0 (2018, 36.1). In 2019 France had the 5th highest tax wedge among the 36 OECD member countries, occupying the same position in 2018.

This note presents key findings for Iceland from Society at a Glance 2014 - OECD Social indicators. This 2014 publication also provides a special chapter on: the crisis and its aftermath: a “stress test” for societies and for social policies.

Going for Growth 2015: Key findings for Iceland

Labour market conditions in Iceland further improved during the last year. In March 2015 the harmonised unemployment rate stood at 4.2% of the labour force, 1 percentage point lower than a year earlier.

This country note provides an environmental tax and carbon pricing profile for Iceland. It shows environmentally related tax revenues, taxes on energy use and effective carbon rates.

This country note presents student performance in science, reading and mathematics, and measures equity in education in Iceland. The interactive charts allow you to compare results with other countries participating in the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).

This note presents marginal effective tax rates (METRs) that summarise the tax system’s impact on the incentives to make an additional investment in a particular type of savings. By comparing METRs on different types of household savings, we can gain insights into which assets or savings types receive the most favourable treatment from the tax system.

This country note for Iceland provides detail on the proportion of CO2 emissions from energy use subject to different effective carbon rates (ECR), as well as on the level and components of average ECRs in each of the six economic sectors (road transport, off-road transport, industry, agriculture and fishing, residential & commercial, and electricity).

The digital revolution, globalisation and demographic changes are transforming labour markets at a time when policy makers are also struggling with slow productivity and wage growth and high levels of income inequality. The new OECD Jobs Strategy provides a comprehensive framework and policy recommendations to help countries address these challenges.

The Icelandic standard VAT rate is 24.0%, which is above the OECD average. The average VAT/GST¹ standard rate in the OECD was 19.3% as of 1 January 2019. The previous standard VAT rate in Iceland was 25.5% in 2014. It changed to the current level in 2015. Iceland applies reduced VAT rates of 0% and 11% to a number of goods and services.

This country note explains how Iceland taxes energy use. The note shows the distribution of effective energy tax rates across all domestic energy use. It also details the country-specific assumptions made when calculating effective energy tax rates and matching tax rates to the corresponding energy base.

The tax-to-GDP ratio in Iceland decreased by 0.8 percentage points from 37.5% in 2017 to 36.7% in 2018. The corresponding figure for the OECD average was a slight increase of 0.1 percentage point from 34.2% to 34.3% over the same period.

The tax wedge for the average single worker in Iceland decreased by 0.3 percentage points from 33.4 in 2018 to 33.1 in 2019. The OECD average tax wedge in 2019 was 36.0 (2018, 36.1). In 2019 Iceland had the 25th lowest tax wedge among the 36 OECD member countries, compared with the 24th in 2018.

This country note explains how Greece taxes energy use. The note shows the distribution of effective energy tax rates across all domestic energy use. It also details the country-specific assumptions made when calculating effective energy tax rates and matching tax rates to the corresponding energy base.

The tax-to-GDP ratio in Greece decreased by 0.2 percentage points from 38.9% in 2017 to 38.7% in 2018. The corresponding figure for the OECD average was a slight increase of 0.1 percentage point from 34.2% to 34.3% over the same period.

The tax wedge for the average single worker in Greece decreased by 0.2 percentage points from 41.0 in 2018 to 40.8 in 2019. The OECD average tax wedge in 2019 was 36.0 (2018, 36.1). In 2019 Greece had the 14th highest tax wedge among the 36 OECD member countries, compared with the 13th in 2018.

While the prevalence of obesity in Italy is lower than in most other countries, it still has significant consequences. Italians live on average 2.7 years less due to overweight. Overweight accounts for 9.0% of health expenditure, above the average for other countries. Labour market outputs are lower due to overweight by the equivalent of 571 thousand full time workers per year.