Mayors and local leaders from around the world launched today a plan of action to help tackle inequality, boost job creation and harness economic development.

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.

19 December 2016, Paris: On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, this roundtable convened a wide range of stakeholders from international organisations, governments, business, civil society, and academia involved in working with the Guidelines.

8/2/2017 - The OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains in the Garment and Footwear Sector will help enterprises to identify and prevent potential negative impacts related to human rights, labour, the environment and corruption in garment and footwear supply chains worldwide.

27/03/2017 - Ukraine has become the 47th country to adhere to the OECD Declaration on International Investment and Multinational Enterprises. The Declaration commits Ukraine to provide an open and transparent environment for international investment and to encourage the positive contribution foreign investment can make to economic and social progress.

Promoting responsible business conduct in the financial sector is vital to building a sustainable global economy. This paper will help institutional investors implement the due diligence recommendations of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises in order to prevent or address adverse impacts related to human and labour rights, the environment, and corruption in their investment portfolios.

In an increasingly competitive international environment, providing workers with the right mix of skills can help ensure that globalisation translates into new jobs and productivity gains rather than negative economic and social outcomes, according to a new OECD report.

Between 2000 and 2010, US manufacturing experienced a nightmare. The number of manufacturing jobs in the United States, which had been relatively stable at 17 million since 1965, declined by one third in that decade, falling by 5.8 million to below 12 million in 2010 (returning to just 12.3 million in 2016). Certainly, the 2007–08 recession accelerated the disruption, but the causes were also structural, not simply financial.

The slowdown in productivity growth - already underway before the crisis – combined with sluggish investment, continued to undermine rises in economic output and material living standards in recent years in many of the world’s economies, according to a new report released today by the OECD.

Globalisation has failed to create a level playing field in trade, investment and corporate behaviour, being one of the factors contributing to a backlash against openness in many countries and a decline in confidence in government institutions.

Making globalisation work, the theme for the OECD’s annual Ministerial Council Meeting 7-8 June, is more than the culmination of one of the most debated issues today. It is also a pertinent topic for the OECD in its quest to better integrate policies that deliver growth and the participation of people behind it.

Successfully attracting investment and innovation in renewable energy requires not only core climate policies, such as pricing carbon, but also a focus on the broader investment environment. Based on new research from the OECD, this article reviews some of the main factors holding back investment and innovation in renewable energy and looks at what governments can do to take action.

Paris, 2-3 October 2017: The meeting will bring together Ministers, high level policy makers and industry leaders to discuss ways to deliver more sustainable and inclusive tourism growth. Held to mark the occasion of the 100th meeting of the OECD Tourism Committee, the high-level meeting will facilitate an open discussion between countries on the long-term strategic objectives for tourism development.

Governments need to rethink their tourism policies to encourage more diversity, reduce concentration in high-density destinations and put in place long-term strategies that are ecologically sustainable and socially inclusive, according to the OECD.

When economic shocks occur, economic agents are expected to react to reduce the negative impact or amplify the positive effects. The ability of a country to contain economic losses can be defined as the resilience to economic shocks. Using the OECD Inter-Country Input-Output tables, this paper investigates the relationship between changes in final demand and production structures for 61 economies.

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.

When companies involve stakeholders, such as local communities, in their decision making, it enables them to identify, and account for the impacts of their activities, and contribute to positive social and economic development. To address the challenges raised when engaging with stakeholders, the OECD is preparing a user guide on how to undertake due diligence in engaging with stakeholders for mining, oil and gas enterprises.

This report is part of a series of assessments on Colombian gold supply chains and the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas. It analyses conditions of mineral extraction and related risks.

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.

Inconsistent penalties, insufficient checks on small parcels, and a lack of information on shipments in free trade zones allow criminal networks to traffic billions of dollars worth of fake and prohibited goods each year. Today, the OECD introduced a new phase in its efforts to help governments counter these enforcement gaps and better protect consumers and businesses.

The OECD Due Diligence Guidance is being used as the basis and benchmark by many industry initiatives created to ensure the responsible sourcing of minerals. This report presents the findings of a pilot alignment assessment of five industry programmes against the recommendations of the OECD Guidance to gauge the coherence, effectiveness and credibility of these initiatives.

Many governments seek to promote and facilitate inward investments that they expect will benefit their economy. This paper looks at the merits of an international framework to facilitate investment in support of sustainable and inclusive growth.

This paper examines the implications of digitalisation and digital technologies for international investment and investment policy, with a particular focus on digital policies relating to national security and digital policies directed at business operations.

Governments adhering to the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises are required to set up a National Contact Point (NCP) that functions in a visible, accessible, transparent and accountable manner. This report contains a peer review of the Chilean NCP, mapping its strengths and accomplishments and also identifying opportunities for improvement.

Governments adhering to the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises are required to set up a National Contact Point that functions in a visible, accessible, transparent and accountable manner. This report contains a peer review of the French NCP, mapping its strengths and accomplishments and also identifying opportunities for improvement.

Governments adhering to the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises are required to set up a National Contact Point (NCP) that functions in a visible, accessible, transparent and accountable manner. This report contains a peer review of the German NCP, mapping its strengths and accomplishments and also identifying opportunities for improvement.

This study explores the role of the National Contact Points in dealing with cases relating to the implementation of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises with a particular focus on labour issues and social dialogue.

Global trade in fake Italian goods such as luxury handbags, watches, foodstuffs and car parts is taking a bite out of Italy’s economy equivalent to around 1-2% of GDP in terms of lost sales, according to a new OECD report.

20 June 2018 - This Liber Amicorum was prepared for Roel Nieuwenkamp. It offers a wide-ranging and comprehensive message to governments, business, civil society organisations and other stakeholders to collectively widen and deepen the adherence and practice of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises worldwide.

ASEAN countries have made progress in SME policies – especially on GVC integration, business development and e-commerce – but future productivity growth will depend on continued reforms, says new joint OECD-ERIA-ASEAN report

As only a tiny proportion of new firms eventually grow, policy makers face two alternatives: target specific firms predicted to be highly innovative in the future, or foster experimentation among firms and streamline both entry and exit. The Italian "Start-Up Act" combines these two approaches with an eclectic mix of policy tools.

Considerato che solo una minima parte delle nuove imprese riesce a svilupparsi, i decisori pubblici si trovano di fronte a un'alternativa: concentrarsi sulle imprese che presentano un alto potenziale di innovazione, o favorire la sperimentazione e semplificare sia l'ingresso che l'uscita delle imprese dal mercato. Lo "Startup Act" combina i due approcci con un mix eclettico di strumenti di policy.

A steady economic expansion in Indonesia is boosting living standards, curbing poverty and offering millions of people greater access to public services.

Business and government should work more closely together to reduce inequality and foster inclusive growth. To help achieve this, at the Paris Peace Forum, Gabriela Ramos, OECD Chief of Staff, G7/G20 Sherpa and leader of the OECD’s Inclusive Growth Initiative, and Emmanuel Faber, Chairman & CEO of Danone, launched the Business for Inclusive Growth (B4IG) Platform.

This joint OECD-UNIDO report identifies investment and related policies to enhance linkages between small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Southeast Asia and multinational enterprises (MNEs) and their impacts on SME outcomes in Southeast Asia.

This report builds on national reviews of seven countries in Southeast Asia. It looks at common challenges across the region and at the interplay between regional initiatives and national reforms.

This paper provides a first assessment of the degree to which public research contributes to innovative entrepreneurship, using data on start-ups and venture capital.

Countries deploy a variety of policy instruments to promote science-industry knowledge exchange. While these instruments are often discussed in isolation, they are implemented collectively and may negatively affect each other or add excessive complexity. This paper develops a conceptual framework to map policy instruments for knowledge exchange and assess interactions.

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%.

The annual reports on the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises provide an account of the actions the adhering governments have taken over the previous 12 months to enhance the contribution of the guidelines to the improved functioning of the global economy.

A group of major international companies has pledged to tackle inequality and promote diversity in their workplaces and supply chains as part of an initiative sponsored by the French Presidency of the G7 and overseen by the OECD.

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.

Governments in OECD and emerging economies are betting heavily on robotics to safeguard the competitiveness of their manufacturing industries. This paper examines the importance of industrial robotics as a driver of production and trade quality.

Powered by the OECD, spearheaded by Danone, and driven forward at the G7 Leaders’ Summit in Biarritz in August 2019, B4IG, the ambitious initiative against inequality sponsored by French President Emmanuel Macron, is a coalition of leading multinational enterprises committed to tackling inequalities and promoting inclusive growth: economic growth that is distributed fairly across society and creates opportunities for all.

Postponed until further notice - The 6th annual OECD Investment Treaty Conference will explore how governments are integrating policies relating to business responsibilities into their trade and investment treaties, and potential policy options.

The OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises recommend that enterprises conduct due diligence in order to identify, prevent or mitigate and account for how actual and potential adverse impacts are addressed. This Due Diligence Guidance provides practical support to enterprises by providing plain language explanations of due diligence recommendations and associated provisions.

This note is taken from Chapter 2 of Economic Policy Reforms: Going for Growth 2011.

This note highlights the most pressing issues on families and children in Hungary, as discussed in the OECD publication Doing Better for Families.

Korea tops a new OECD PISA survey that tests how 15-year olds use computers and the Internet to learn. The next best performers were New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Hong-Kong China and Iceland.