- Busting cartels for development
Promoting effective competition in developing countries means getting tougher on cartels in the OECD area, and compensating customers internationally. Through a new competition fund, the OECD could play a lead role in making sure poorer countries get a fairer deal.
(1332 words) - Business China
China has dominated policy and business thinking since the start of the century. Much has been written about its economic transformation and governance, about its huge business potential, and more recently about its influence as a major player in the wider world economy. But what is it actually like to do business there? Joerg Wuttke is vice-president of the European Chamber of Commerce in China and has been doing business there for 16 years, formerly with ABB China and now with BASF China. We asked Mr Wuttke for some personal insights.
(1377 words) - China question
Secretary-General Donald Johnston understandably raises the question of the OECD’s future relationship with China (No. 251, September 2005). But as well as focusing on China itself, both in your edition and in your organisation’s impressive work on the country, what about China’s presence in the global economy generally?
(398 words) - China’s economy: A remarkable transformation
The pace of economic change in China has been extremely rapid since the start of economic reforms just over 25 years ago. According to official statistics, economic growth has averaged 9.5% over the past two decades and seems likely to continue at that pace for some time. National income has been doubling every eight years. Such an increase in output represents one of the most sustained and rapid economic transformations seen in the world economy in the past 50 years.
(1647 words) - China on our minds
Economic forecasting is a delicate exercise, but having just arrived back from Beijing, I am satisfied that all our predictions about the might of China in the global economy will come to pass, perhaps even sooner than many believe.
(833 words) - Restrictive business
Does the level of government regulation affect a country’s economic performance? A first step in finding the answer is to assess the level of restrictions before looking at their effect. Consider regulations that constrain competition in product markets. These fell in all OECD countries in 1998- 2003, according to Going for Growth.
(257 words) - Smart, as well as beautiful: the Bologna Process
Small may well be beautiful in the business world, but being small can also be tough going, in good as well as turbulent times. Red tape, taxes and other charges, capital costs, employment regulations, legal costs: issues such as these absorb a lot of small-company time and money, and can, in the end, become a barrier to either going into business, or surviving in it. Still, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) account for over 95% of all firms and for 60%-70% of employment in the OECD area.
(469 words) - Food (in)security
Food security seems to have improved on average, over the past four decades, with food availability in terms of daily calories and protein per capita rising some 30% in developing countries between the 1960s and the 1990s. The number of malnourished children under five fell by about 37 million between the 1970s and the mid-1990s, and the incidence of malnutrition dropped from 47% to 31%.
(339 words) - Ukraine FDI performance
Your article “Ukraine : A miracle in waiting?” is a very thorough, well-documented and fair analysis of the economic evolution in Ukraine.
(94 words)
Are you confident that governments can help avoid a global depression?
- Who pays the highest income tax?
- The income taxes people really pay
- Financial crisis and the economy
- Bullying at school: tackling the problem
- Unequal growth, unequal recession?
- From the financial crisis to the economic downturn
- Transfer pricing: Keeping it at arm’s length
- Santé to the French health system
- The brain drain: Old myths, new realities
- Immigration in the European Union: problem or solu...