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Structural reforms and income distribution

Structural reforms and income distribution




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Slovenia needs to increase reform efforts for a return to stronger growth

Economic reforms have helped Slovenia recover from the crisis, but further action is needed to strengthen the banking and corporate sectors, stabilise debt and create jobs, according to the latest OECD Economic Survey of Slovenia.




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Agricultural reforms and bridging the gap for rural China

Urbanisation will continue in China, with the government planning to grant urban residential status to an additional 100 million rural workers by 2020. For those who remain in rural areas, improved social welfare systems and investment in health services are critical.




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Reforming the pension system to increase coverage and equity in Colombia

Colombia is one of the most unequal countries in Latin America. The high level of informality in the labour market and many characteristics of the pension system leave many elderly in poverty. Only formal-sector employees earning more than the relatively high minimum wage are covered.




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Skills and labour market performance in Sweden

Both educational attainment and skills, as measured in the OECD Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC), are high in Sweden. They are not perfect substitutes, but both are to some degree necessary for successfully integrating in the Swedish labour market.




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New Zealand economy performing well, but sustaining high levels of growth and well-being will require further reforms

The New Zealand economy has performed well in recent years, but bottlenecks in housing and urban infrastructure, inequalities in living standards and rising environmental pressures all pose challenges for sustaining robust growth and high levels of well-being over the long term, according to the OECD’s latest Economic Survey of New Zealand.




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Russia: progress in structural reform and framework conditions 2011-13

Since 1995 when OECD began conducting Economic Surveys of the Russian Federation many policy recommendations relating to structural reform and framework conditions have been made.




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Boosting export performance in Portugal

In the years before the economic crisis, Portugal had low growth, a decline in export competitiveness and rising imbalances that included a large current account deficit and a strong expansion of the non-tradable sector. Strengthening export performance is therefore one of the principal challenges for Portugal.




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Ireland needs to sustain reform momentum to secure economic recovery and ensure it benefits all

A strong commitment to reform and a business-friendly environment have helped Ireland return to robust economic expansion, offering the government an opportunity to heal the scars of the crisis, according to the latest OECD Economic Survey of Ireland.




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The costs of flexibility-enhancing structural reforms: a literature review

This survey highlights the key results of the empirical literature concerning the costs of flexibility-enhancing reforms in product and labour markets.




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Labour market reform for more and better quality jobs in Italy

A well-functioning labour market is indispensable to promote job creation, increase living standards, and develop a cohesive society. In Italy, the various deficiencies of the labour market have resulted in high unemployment, low labour force participation and job-skill mismatch.




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Finland: Structural reforms needed to boost growth and employment

Finland enjoys a high level of income and well-being, but the economy has weakened and new reforms will be necessary to restart growth, boost productivity increase employment and restore competitiveness, according to the latest OECD Economic Survey of Finland.




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Costa Rica: Stronger and more inclusive growth will require new reforms

Costa Rica has made impressive economic, social and environmental progress, but further institutional and policy reforms will be necessary to ensure stronger and more inclusive growth, according to the first-ever OECD Economic Assessment of Costa Rica.




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Lithuania: Achieving stronger and more inclusive growth will require new reforms

Lithuania has made remarkable economic and social progress, but further policy reforms will be necessary to ensure a more productive and inclusive economy, according to the first-ever OECD Economic Assessment of Lithuania.




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Hungarian economy expanding but reforms needed to boost skills, business investment and incomes

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.




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Recovery underway in Denmark, but reforms needed to maintain high living standards and ensure sustainability of social welfare system

Denmark’s economic prospects are improving, but further reforms are needed to maintain the country’s high living standards and ensure the well-being of all citizens, according to a new report from the OECD.




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Korea needs new reforms to boost productivity, employment and growth

Korea needs to boost productivity, increase employment and stoke economic activity as part of efforts to reverse current trends toward slower growth and low inflation, according to a new report from the OECD.




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Reforming benefits in Lithuania to generate a double dividend: Making work pay while better protecting the jobless

Inequality measures in Lithuania (like in Estonia and Latvia) are high. To an important extent this is related to the high risk of poverty for non-working individuals and to the low rewards to work. Therefore, increasing the quality of jobs, ensuring that the most vulnerable have access to employment and providing adequate income support for those that have lost their job are key for making labour markets and the economy more inclusive.




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Structural reforms in a difficult time

The pace of structural reforms is slowing just when the world economy needs decisive policy actions to strengthen fundamentals and restore healthy growth (the 2016 Going for Growth report). Policy makers may be concerned that introducing structural reforms in the current context involve trade-offs between the mid- to long-run gains in employment and productivity and short-run losses.




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Structural reforms to boost inclusive growth in Greece

This paper takes stock of the main structural reforms that Greece has undertaken since 2010, those currently proposed and that are in the process of implementation, and quantifies the medium and long‑term effects on output.




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How to boost export performance in Greece

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.




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Czech Republic needs new reforms to boost productivity and accelerate convergence with the most advanced countries

The Czech Republic needs new reforms to boost productivity, improve economic growth and accelerate convergence toward the levels of income and well-being seen in the most advanced European countries, according to a new OECD report.




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Structural reforms for more inclusive growth in Greece

The Greek economy is turning around lately, but it remains in a deep depression. GDP has fallen by more than a quarter between 2007 and 2015, unemployment remains extremely high at 25 percent and anchored poverty – which measures poverty relative to its pre-crisis income level – has nearly tripled between 2007 and 2014, reaching a third of the population.




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US economy growing steadily but key reforms needed

The US economy is making one of the strongest comebacks in the OECD, but there are risks on the horizon, according to the OECD’s latest Economic Survey of the United States.




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Germany’s economic performance is strong but productivity and investment need a boost

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.




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The effects of reform scenarios for unemployment benefits and social assistance on financial incentives to work and poverty in Lithuania

In 2015 the Lithuanian government launched an ambitious Social Model reform agenda aimed at balancing flexibility of the labour market and security provided through the system of social protection.




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The short-term impact of product market reforms: a cross-country firm-level analysis

This paper analyses the effects of product market reforms in the short and medium term across 10 regulated industries and 18 advanced economies for the period 1998-2013 using internationally comparable firm-level data based on Orbis.




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Turkey: Challenging times call for pushing ahead with economic reform

Turkey’s economy has proven remarkably resilient in the face of a challenging global economic context. However, further action can be taken to raise productivity and advance the shift to a more balanced, sustainable and stronger growth path that will boost living standards for the entire population, according to the latest OECD Economic Survey of Turkey.




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Tackling the three main challenges in Costa Rica: fiscal reform, reverting the slowdown in productivity and reducing inequality

Costa Rica’s economic, social and environmental achievements are impressive. It has succeeded in combining rising living standards, virtually universal health care, pension and primary education systems with sustainable use of natural resources.




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The effects of reform scenarios for unemployment benefits and social assistance on financial incentives to work and poverty in Lithuania

In 2015 the Lithuanian government launched an ambitious Social Model reform agenda aimed at balancing flexibility of the labour market and security provided through the system of social protection.




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The short-term impact of product market reforms: a cross-country firm-level analysis

This paper analyses the effects of product market reforms in the short and medium term across 10 regulated industries and 18 advanced economies for the period 1998-2013 using internationally comparable firm-level data based on Orbis.




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Pump-priming productivity through reform: the case of Lithuania

In the past two decades, the income level in Lithuania has steadily risen toward that of OECD countries. Between 1995 and 2013, GDP per capita rose from one third to two thirds of the OECD average. Productivity catch-up was critical to this process, aided by enhanced integration into the global economy which enabled the adoption of more advanced production technologies from abroad.




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Product market reforms under the microscope

Given the secular decline in productivity growth and the persistent weakness of the economic recovery in many advanced economies, increased attention is being paid to the potential role of structural reforms for restoring economic growth.




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Boosting investment performance in Germany

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.




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MENA countries need structural reforms to spur trade, investment, jobs and trust

Middle Eastern and North African countries should press ahead with further economic and structural reforms to boost flagging trade and investment, restore public trust and create jobs for the region’s young population, the OECD told ministers from the region today.




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Raising Korea’s productivity through innovation and structural reform

Raising productivity requires addressing a wide range of policies that affect resource allocation, the creation and diffusion of technology, human capital and the creation and financing of start-ups.




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Labour market reforms in Korea to promote inclusive growth

Labour market reforms are essential to promote social cohesion by removing obstacles to employment, particularly for women, youth and older persons.




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Tax reforms, more efficient public spending and better public governance, keys to consolidating Indonesia’s strong economic progress

Indonesia has undergone an extraordinary transformation over the past two decades, benefiting from strong growth that has lifted millions out of poverty and allowed important progress in areas such as health and education. But low levels of public spending and tax revenue are undermining the quality of social services and exacerbating infrastructure gaps, according to the OECD.




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Can reforms promoting growth increase financial fragility? An empirical assessment

Certain growth-promoting policies can have negative side-effects by increasing the vulnerability of economies to financial crises. Typical examples are greater openness to financial flows or more liberalised financial markets.




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Can reforms promoting growth increase financial fragility? An empirical assessment

Certain growth-promoting policies can have negative side-effects by increasing the vulnerability of economies to financial crises. Typical examples are greater openness to financial flows or more liberalised financial markets.




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The distributional impact of structural reforms

In a majority of OECD countries, GDP growth over the past three decades has been associated with growing income disparities.




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The distributional impact of structural reforms

In a majority of OECD countries, GDP growth over the past three decades has been associated with growing income disparities.




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Effects of flexibility-enhancing reforms on employment transitions

Do flexibility-enhancing reforms imply more employment instability? Using individual-level data from harmonised household surveys for 26 advanced countries, this paper analyses the effects of product and labour market reforms on transitions in and out of employment.




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The quantification of structural reforms in OECD countries: a new framework

This document describes and discusses a new supply side framework that quantifies the impact of structural reforms on per capita income in OECD countries.




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The quantification of structural reforms in OECD countries: a new framework

This document describes and discusses a new supply side framework that quantifies the impact of structural reforms on per capita income in OECD countries.




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Structural reforms can be inclusive; it all depends on the details

Structural reforms are regularly assessed based on their ability to boost GDP per capita. This emphasis relies on the assumption that higher GDP per capita is systematically associated with rising living standards for the vast majority of citizens. This view is increasingly being challenged.




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Mexico: Reforms are starting to bear fruit, but further action is needed to boost productivity and ensure more inclusive growth, OECD says

Ambitious structural reforms and sound macroeconomic policies have strengthened the resilience of the Mexican economy despite a complex national scenario and challenging global conditions, but more can be done to boost productivity and ensure that growth is inclusive enough to achieve better living conditions for all, according to a new report from the OECD.




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The Walking Dead? Zombie Firms and Productivity Performance in 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.




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The Walking Dead? Zombie Firms and Productivity Performance in 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.




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Mexico’s reforms are paying off, but there is much left to do

The government has rolled out major structural reforms since 2012 aimed at improving growth, well-being and income distribution. The initial wave of reforms, kicked-off by the multi-partisan political commitments in the Pacto por México, led to notable progress across a range of areas and put Mexico at the forefront of reformers among OECD countries.