Risks That Matter 2018 Country Highlights: Austria

OECD countries are intensifying their fiscal consolidation efforts, introducing additional measures and extending the time horizon to implement them. Most have announced fiscal consolidation of more than 3% of GDP over the period 2009-15, according to the OECD’s Restoring Public Finances 2012.

“Why do financial institutions and investors see so little risk, while companies investing in the real economy see so much risk?” This is perhaps the most important question facing policy makers today. This paper sets out some of the possible hypotheses for lack of investment in the world economy. It uses data drawn from 10 000 global companies in 75 advanced and emerging countries.

This report develops a framework that classifies investments according to different types of financing instruments and investment funds, and highlights the risk mitigants and transaction enablers that intermediaries can use to mobilise institutionally held capital.

The United States’ Social Security Act of 1935 set up a social insurance programme for American workers, providing them with at least some degree of certainty about income after retirement. But, in today’s environment, to what degree do Americans feel secure about their retirement? This article looks at the results of a new survey on American’s understanding of retirement preparedness and the perceived role of Social Security.

Risks That Matter 2018 Country Highlights: Belgium

The European Union faces serious challenges today, with public finances in poor shape, weak long-term growth prospects and an unemployment level close to 10%. In this context, the regional policy can play a crucial role to unleash the growth potential of our economies, says OECD Secretary-General.

In this paper we examine whether past labour market reforms aiming at reducing the rate of unemployment have raised its long-run volatility.

Well-functioning judicial systems play a crucial role in determining economic performance – notably by guaranteeing the security of property rights and the enforcement of contracts – but not all countries’ judiciaries operate at the same level of efficiency.

This paper quantifies the importance of different determinants of trade at the industry level using a sample of 54 OECD and non-OECD economies. The empirical methodology extends the approach of previous empirical studies to explicitly quantify the impact that trading partners’ factor endowments and policies have on bilateral trade, and to analyse the effect of tariffs on the volume and composition of trade.

Determined and systemic action to implement a comprehensive reform agenda across a wide range of policy areas offers governments the best chance to boost weak demand, restore healthy economic growth, create jobs and ensure that the gains are broadly shared across society, according to the OECD’s latest Going for Growth report.

As in other countries, in Mexico income, education, health, job status and other individual characteristics are significantly associated with life satisfaction. These findings suggest that the higher average level of life satisfaction in Mexico is probably related to unobserved country characteristics.

Financial crises do more than impose huge costs: they have bigger and more insidious effects. We face big challenges in maintaining the supply of global public goods as the world integrates. But these challenges will not be managed successfully if we do not first overcome the legacy of the crisis.

This paper reviews different explanations for apparent underinvestment in energy efficiency that have been put forward in the literature. It also provides new evidence regarding barriers to investment in energy efficiency based on the OECD Survey on Household Environmental Behaviour and Attitudes.

World trade growth was rapid in the two decades prior to the global financial crisis but has halved subsequently.

Reforms that boost growth by enhancing economic flexibility often meet strong opposition related to concerns that they may imply adverse consequences for categories of workers. This study investigates how making product or labour market regulation more flexible changes workers’ risks of moving out of employment and jobless people’s chances of becoming employed.

Major global crises such as the 2008-09 episode are mercifully rare, but severe recessions have been quite frequent among OECD countries over the past four decades.

Weak productivity growth is a major problem afflicting most societies. It curbs growth in incomes and endangers the sustainability of social security systems. An important, but often ignored, source of the productivity slowdown is the increasing prevalence of weakly productive firms and, among them, “zombie firms” – in essence firms that would typically exit or be forced to restructure in a competitive market.

Global trade imbalances narrowed in the aftermath of the global financial crisis. They have remained at a lower level but are still of concern to policy makers because of the risks they pose to individual economies, as well as globally.

This study explores the impact of export shocks on firms and re-aggregates results to derive distributional effects on sectors and regions.

Using cross-country time series panel regressions for the last two decades, this paper seeks to identify the main policy and institutional factors that explain the share of selfemployment across European countries.

OECD countries are intensifying their fiscal consolidation efforts, introducing additional measures and extending the time horizon to implement them. Most have announced fiscal consolidation of more than 3% of GDP over the period 2009-15, according to the OECD’s Restoring Public Finances 2012.

Three world experts discuss the future of cities in the current context of rapid urbanisation. This meeting was held in Paris on 4 December 2012.

This report summarises experience of OECD and non-OECD countries with reforming inspections, attempts to present some of the most interesting and successful experiences suggesting that some good practices may be valid beyond the countries where they were initially pioneered.

This paper provides an overview of fiscal consolidation efforts at the central and sub-central government level, both during the current and past consolidation episodes.

Financial crises do more than impose huge costs: they have bigger and more insidious effects. We face big challenges in maintaining the supply of global public goods as the world integrates. But these challenges will not be managed successfully if we do not first overcome the legacy of the crisis.

Paris, 8 March 2016: Organised on International Women's Day, the OECD hosted a conference to consider policy approaches to closing leadership gender gaps in the public and corporate sectors.

This paper provides a framework for analysing ownership engagement by institutional investors. It argues that the general term “institutional investor” in itself doesn’t say very much about the quality or degree of ownership engagement. It is therefore an evasive “shorthand” for policy discussions about ownership engagement.

Paris, 8 March 2016: Organised on International Women's Day, the OECD hosted a conference to consider policy approaches to closing leadership gender gaps in the public and corporate sectors.

21/05/2016 - It is seven years since the global crisis and despite easy monetary policy, financial regulatory reform, and G20 resolutions favouring structural measures, the world economy is not making a lot of progress. Adrian Blundell-Wignall gives a preview of what’s in the 2016 edition of the OECD Business and Finance Outlook.

On the occasion of the release of the OECD Due Diligence Guidance on Responsible Business Conduct, the OECD’s Tyler Gillard looks at how governments can encourage international standards of responsible business conduct in business activities and supply chains.

Artificial intelligence is still in its early days and policymakers are still finding their feet. To what extent can they, and should they, encourage this powerful new technology, and how can they address any risks? The OECD Principles on AI can help. They promote artificial intelligence (AI) that is innovative and trustworthy and that respects human rights and democratic values.

Germany 2 Year Bond Yield was -0.78 percent on Friday May 8, according to over-the-counter interbank yield quotes for this government bond maturity. Historically, the Germany 2 Year Schatz Yield reached an all time high of 9.23 in January of 1991.

Exports of Calcium Phosphate CMLV in Russia increased to 42.90 USD Million in February from 25.90 USD Million in January of 2020. Exports of Calcium Phosphate CMLV in Russia averaged 139.84 USD Million from 1994 until 2020, reaching an all time high of 622.70 USD Million in December of 2008 and a record low of 5.90 USD Million in January of 1994. Russia accounts for Exports of Calcium Phosphate using cumulative values for each year (CMLV). This page includes a chart with historical data for Russia Exports of Calcium Phosphate CMLV.

Simon Kuper on how top players’ diets have changed — and why old habits die hard

False beliefs will make it harder to end this pandemic. They also risk making our politics even more dysfunctional

Forecasts will be most thorough assessment yet of how lockdown is affecting the economy

But can smaller industrial towns like Scunthorpe follow its example?

Your question for our expert — and readers’ advice

Join FT business education correspondent Jonathan Moules for a live discussion on Monday May 4 at 12pm and 5pm UK time

How a squabble between Saudi Arabia and Russia led to ‘the nuclear version of a price war’

Government to provide £617m to plug gaps in rescue package based on business rates system

Proprietary trading is hard to identify and did not cause the crisis

Martin Sandbu discusses the prospects that leaders attending this year's G20 summit in Osaka will be able to patch up their differences on trade and climate with Chris Giles and Leslie Hook.

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Gideon Rachman discusses the crisis in Britain's relations with the US following the unscheduled departure of Kim Darroch as ambassador to Washington, with Ed Luce and Geoff Dyer.

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In this special episode from Hong Kong, Gideon Rachman talks to Regina Ip, a member of the territory's Executive Council and Legislative Council, and to student activist Joshua Wong about the continuing protests and what happens next.

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Remote working has unearthed unexpected challenges — and surprises

It is time to rethink whether such assessment really prepares us for life and work

Whichford Pottery’s terracotta wares are as appreciated overseas for their English style as they are in the UK for their robustness

A book on the economics of gardening puts today’s spending into perspective