OECD.org

The Portuguese economy is recovering from a deep recession, thanks to a broad structural reform agenda that has led to rising growth, falling unemployment and progress in export performance. Maintaining momentum is crucial for addressing challenges and bringing about stronger and more inclusive growth, according to a new OECD report.

Current policies to mitigate carbon-dioxide emissions from global transport will not be enough to achieve international climate ambitions, a study from the International Transport Forum finds. The ITF Transport Outlook 2017 shows transport emissions rising sharply by 2050, and even under its optimistic scenario emissions remain around 2015 levels.

High-speed Internet use continues to grow in OECD countries with mobile broadband penetration reaching 95 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants in June 2016, up from 86 per 100 a year earlier. The additional 123 million new mobile broadband subscriptions in the OECD area meant a year-on-year rise of 11.3%.

The number of struggling firms that would normally go out of business in competitive markets has risen in some OECD countries, kept alive by the likes of weak insolvency regimes and post-crisis bank forbearance. The trouble is, these “zombie” firms are now affecting productivity, crowding out healthier firms and depressing investment.

The only things that stop at borders are national policies. The rest passes through: goods, information, people; but also crises and instabilities. More than 46% of West Africa’s agglomerations and over half of the West African urban population are located within 100 km of a border. By Laurent Bossard, OECD Sahel and West Africa Club