OECD in the news (articles by country) - L'OCDE dans les médias (articles par pays)

Australia

Economy

• We're failing at preschools. OECD says -  Caroline Overington, The Australian
  10/10/2008 - ...The OECD's Economic Surveys Australia 2008 report, released last night, also shows Australian reading scores falling significantly, in a statistical sense, between 2003 and 2006, "reflecting mainly a decline in the scores of high achievers". (OECD report)
• OECD suggests pay boost for teachers - The Sydney Morning Herald
  10/10/2008 - The federal government should consider extending its universal early childhood education policy to include three-year-olds, the OECD recommends. (OECD report)
• Australian Economy Has `Stood Up Well' to Crisis, OECD Says - Jacob Greber, Bloomberg
  10/10/2008 - Australia's economy has weathered turmoil on global financial markets and may need to keep monetary policy ``relatively tight'' until a ``significant'' easing in inflation is in prospect, the OECD said. (OECD report)

Education

• Coalition offers pensioners $4b poll incentives - Ben Packham and Gerard McManus, Herald Sun
  23/10/2007 - ...The debate between Mr Howard and Mr Rudd became heated a number of times, most pointedly in an exchange on an OECD report about education funding.
• Global versus nationalistic - The Sydney Morning Herald
  15/10/2007 - ...The OECD's recently released Education at a Glance report showed that in 2005 only 3.9 per cent of international students in Australia were in research programs compared with 15.7 per cent in the United States and 11.5 per cent in Britain. (OECD report)
  

Employment

• Welfare reforms 'not enough' -  David Uren, The Australian
  03/01/2008 - Disability pension recipients who are able to work at least part-time should be required to seek a job, according to the OECD.

Environment

• OECD wants Australia to lead on climate - The Age
  05/08/2008 - Australia should be leading the way in fighting climate change and can influence other countries to join in, according to the head of the OECD. Angel Gurria, who is in Melbourne for meetings, said Australia had a particular responsibility to face up to climate change
• OECD reports set further challenges for Australia - Mary-Lou Considine, ScienceAlert
  04/05/2008 - Is Australia on the road to a sustainable future? Yes and no, depending on which of two recent reports released by the OECD you read. (OECD report)
• Water is too cheap in Australia - Peter Williams, Herald Sun
  19/03/2008 - The OECD's Environmental Performance Review of Australia says water is being wasted because it is too cheap.  It says the move would help conserve water and encourage investment in alternative supplies. (OECD report)
  

Austria

Ageing

• Pensionen: OECD-Kritik an Österreich - Die Presse
  07.06.2007 - Wer länger arbeitet, wird bestraft – System zu teuer, Reformen „dringend geboten“.
  Die „Entschärfung“ der schwarz-blauen Pensionsreform wurde erst am Mittwoch vom Nationalrat in Wien beschlossen. Nur einen Tag später kommt von der OECD  deutliche Kritik an Österreich. (OECD report)
• OECD-Rüge für die Pensionsreform - Wiener Zeitung
  07/07/2007 - Österreichs Pensionssystem ist vergleichsweise großzügig, kritisiert eine internationale Studie der OECD die gestern in Paris präsentiert wurde. (OECD report)

Education

• Hitziger Streit um Pisa-Studie - Die Presse
  19/11/2007 - Schon mehr als zwei Wochen vor ihrem Erscheinen sorgt die aktuelle Pisa-Studie für Aufruhr in der österreichischen Innenpolitik.
  

Belgium

Economy

• OECD says Belgian economic recovery looks durable - Forbes
  13/03/2007 - AFX - Belgium's economic recovery is likely to prove durable despite an expected slowdown in growth this year from the robust pace of expansion seen in 2006, the OECD said in a report on the Belgian economy. (OECD report)

Environment

• L'environnement en Belgique: bien mais peut mieux faire - Le Vif
  27/03/2007 - Belga - ...Mais les autorités ont encore à relever de nombreux défis, notamment en matière de transport et de politique climatique, relève un rapport de l'OCDE. (Rapport OCDE)
  

Brazil

• Education woes haunt Brazil's economic revival - ABC News
  ... The latest education survey published by the OECD ranks Brazilian high school students 53rd and 51st out of 57 countries for their mathematics and reading proficiency, respectively.
  

Canada

Economy

• No severe recession in Canada: economist - Eric Beauchesne, Ottawa Citizen
  18/11/2008 - ...The Paris-based OECD welcomed what Secretary-General Angel Gurria described as a "global concerted effort to re-launch the world economy."
• OECD is right and wrong - Calgary Herald
  18/06/2008 - ...In contrast to the advice for the feds, the OECD advice for Alberta is sound: put much more money in the Heritage fund. Here, regrettably, Finance Minister Iris Evans is resisting. (OECD report)
• Canada urged to amass oil wealth - Heather Scoffield, The Globe and Mail
  11/06/2008 - The OECD is pushing Canada to adopt Norway's model for managing oil wealth, an approach Alberta has rejected. (OECD report)

Environment

• Speaking with one voice - Cathryn Atkinson, The Globe and Mail
  22/04/2008 - ...In a recent OECD study that examined 25 key environmental indicators, Canada ranked 28th out of 29 developed nations in its efforts to address environmental issues.
  

Chile

• El debate que viene sobre la educación superior - José Joaquín Brunner, El Mercurio
  24/08/2008 - ¿Hacia dónde deben apuntar las reformas de nuestro sistema universitario? Un revelador informe de la OCDE entrega pistas. Un voluminoso informe de la OCDE sobre la educación terciaria vuelve a poner de relieve su importancia para el desarrollo de los países. El propio informe es el mayor esfuerzo de síntesis realizado durante la última década sobre este sector.

Economy

• Chile strong performer; sustaining growth over long term is a challenge - OECD - Forbes
  26/11/2007 - The OECD said Chile remains a strong performer but faces the policy challenge of sustaining productivity-driven growth over the long term through continued structural reform initiatives. (OECD report)

Fighting corruption

• Chile reitera compromiso de cumplir obligaciones sobre corrupción - El Economista
  25/10/2007 - El Gobierno de Chile reiteró hoy su compromiso de cumplir las obligaciones de la Convención para evitar la corrupción en las transacciones internacionales, tras haber sido advertido por la OCDE sobre su incumplimiento.

Innovation

• Chile 'should invest more in R&D and innovation' - María Elena Hurtado, SciDev.Net
  15/11/2007 - The review of Chilean innovation policy by the OECD was published last week. It was requested by the government in preparation for Chile's admission into the 30-strong governmental forum of mostly developed nations.
  

China

• China sees the world differently - Alan Wheatley, International Herald Tribune
  31/03/2008 - (Reuters) - ...The problem is that while China participates in a range of OECD activities, it is not a member. And Gurría, though suggesting that China might join other emerging economies in the OECD's Development Center, said Beijing had expressed no particular wish for full membership.
• OECD head says favours strong ties with China - Forbes
  25/03/2008 - OECD Secretary General Angel Gurria called for greater cooperation with China, and even suggested full membership of the organisation, although he insisted talks are not ongoing.

Education

• China earthquake brings faulty school design to the fore - Andrew C. Revkin, International Herald Tribune
  14/05/2008 - In 2004, the 30-nation OECD released a study, "Keeping Schools Safe in Earthquakes," concluding that schools "routinely" collapsed in earthquakes around the world because of avoidable design or construction errors, or because existing laws and building codes were not enforced. (OECD report)

Environment

• OECD urges China to act on pollution - Jamil Anderlini, Financial Times
  18/07/ 2007 - China's air pollution will cause 20m people a year to fall ill with respiratory diseases, the OECD  estimated yesterday. The Paris-based club of industrialised countries said China was not doing enough to combat widespread and serious environmental degradation and should "redouble efforts" to implement its laws and policies. (OECD report)
• OECD Decries China Enforcement of Environment Rules - Planet Ark
  18/07/2007 - China's efforts at environmental protection have been ineffective and inefficient largely because the central government has been unable to implement its policies, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development said. (OECD report)

Science and Innovation

• Peking setzt für seine wirtschaftliche Zukunft auf Forschung - Thomas Müller, Neue Zürcher Zeitung
  27/05/2008 - ...In kaufkraftbereinigten Zahlen, wie sie die OECD publiziert, kommt China jedoch wesentlich potenter daher: Danach lag China 2005 nur knapp hinter Japan und erreichte bereits 30 Prozent der amerikanischen Forschungsausgaben.
• China needs innovation, OECD says - International Herald Tribune
  27/08/2007 - ...Better protection of patents and other intellectual property, more cooperation between the government and the private sector and reforms to foster competitive markets are among the top needs the Paris-based OECD outlined in a report issued in collaboration with China's Ministry of Science and Technology. (OECD report)
  

Czech Republic

Economy

• OECD's Gurria sees Czech inflation well-contained, 2008 GDP growth at 4.5 pct - Forbes
  24/04/2008 - ...Presenting the OECD Economic Survey of the Czech Republic in Prague today, Gurria also said inflation is well-contained thanks to persistent inflation targeting. (OECD report)
• OECD warns of complacency - Michael Heitmann, The Prague Post
  12/03/2008 - ...Temporary growth can present a danger to reform efforts, said Angel Gurría, the OECD’s secretary-general, who plans to tout the study’s recommendations for the Czech Republic during a visit late next month.
  

Denmark

Economy

• OECD: Dansk økonomi ved en skillevej - Dagbladet Børsen
  19/02/2008 - ...Det skriver OECD i en rapport, hvor organisationen for førte gang i to år har dansk økonomi som hovedemne. (OECD report)
• OECD says Denmark must give urgent attention to risk of economic overheating - Forbes
  19/02/2008 - Denmark needs to give urgent attention to avoid an overheating of its economy, the OECD said. (OECD report)

Employment

• Flexicurity secures Denmark in globalisation - Copenhagen Capacity
  03/07/2007 - The Danish people is most positive with regards to globalisation and this is mostly a result of the Danish flexicurity system.

Environment

• Copenhagen Needs More Dikes to Ward Off Higher Seas, OECD Says - Christian Wienberg, Bloomberg
  08/10/2008 - ...Under a worst-case scenario, with water levels rising 1 meter, the biggest storm likely in 120 years would bring waves that could cause 8 billion euros ($11 billion) of flood damage in the city, Paris-based OECD said in the study.
  

European Union

Economy

• EU told to transform social security rules - John Thornhill and Scheherzade Daneshkhu, Financial Times
  25/03/2008 - Failure to address labour and product market reforms could hobble Europe for years to come even if the region can escape the worst of the US-led downturn, according to to Angel Gurría, secretary general of the OECD.

Finance

• EU leaders endorse 'necessary' defences against state funds - EurActiv
  14/03/2008 - Nevertheless, leaders insisted that Europe must remain committed to "an open investment environment," saying a voluntary code of conduct for sovereign funds should be negotiated at international level. In this respect, they reiterated the EU's "support for the ongoing work in the IMF and the OECD".
  

Finland

Economy

• OECD patistaa Suomea pikaisiin talousremontteihin - Annamari Sipilä, Helsingin Sanomat
  03/06/2008 -  OECD:n juuri julkaistu Suomi-raportti varoittaa vakavista talous- ja muista vaikeuksista, ellei Suomen hallitus ryhdy pikaisiin remontteihin. (OECD report)
• OECD varnar Finland - YLE
  03/06/2008 -  Organisationen för ekonomiskt samarbete och utveckling OECD varnar för allvarliga konsekvenser för Finlands ekonomi om regeringen inte vidtar omedelbara åtgärder. (OECD report)
• OECD cuts Finland 2008 growth forecast to 2.8 pct from 2.9, cuts 2009 to 2.3 pct - Forbes
  03/06/2008 - The OECD lowered its forecasts for Finnish economic growth, and said wage deals will lead to an acceleration in inflation. (OECD report)

Education

• Never again: a nation works to cure ills that made teenager into a killer - Roger Boyes, The Times
  05/01/2008 - ...The new scheme was designed to cut the dropout rate, apparently one of the few blemishes on a system that regularly turns out top scores in the OECD international performance surveys.

Social issues

• Income disparities growing faster in Finland than in any other OECD country - Helsingin Sanomat
  13/11/2008 - According to a recent survey conducted by the OECD, the gap between rich and poor has widened more in Finland than in any other wealthy industrialized country over the past decade.

France

• Is France America's new best friend? - Tom Baldwin and Charles Bremner, The Times
  14/06/2008 - ...In his speech to the OECD in Paris yesterday, Mr Bush heaped more praise on Mr Sarkozy for committing additional troops to Afghanistan and talked about America’s historic ties with France.

Economy

• La dépense qui crée la dépense - Favilla, Les Echos
  12/12/2007 - Le secrétaire général de l'OCDE, Angel Gurria, ne prend pas son rôle à la légère. Auditionné récemment par la commission Attali, il ne s'est pas contenté de répondre aux questions : il est arrivé avec un remarquable opuscule de 190 pages intitulé « Le Pari de la croissance » (consultable en ligne), qui fournit le diagnostic et le traitement de nos maux économiques dans les domaines essentiels, de l'emploi à l'efficacité de l'Etat et de l'éducation à la fiscalité.
• OECD's Gurria says France needs to go much further with economic reforms - Forbes
  22/11/2007 - OECD secretary general Angel Gurria said France needs to go much further in carrying out economic reforms if it is to achieve its full growth potential.

Information technologies

• Sarkozy proposes taxing new technology to finance the old - Katrin Bennhold and Victoria Shannon, International Herald Tribune
  09/01/2008 - ..."This could be seen as drawing on new technology to fund old technology," said Taylor Reynolds, economist at the OECD, based in Paris.

Social issues

• French illegal workers' strike puts their value to test - Celestine Bohlen, International Herald Tribune
  27/05/2008 - Bloomberg - ...These workers do jobs the French don't want to do. The hotel and restaurant industries have 35,000 to 40,000 vacancies, employers say, even though the French jobless rate is 7.8 percent, one of the highest in Europe, according to the OECD.
  

Germany

Economy

• OECD sieht keinen Spielraum für Steuersenkungen - Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung
  05/06/2008 - Die OECD hält Steuersenkungen in Deutschland derzeit nicht für angebracht. „Im Augenblick sehen wir keinen Spielraum dafür“, sagte der Deutschland-Experte der Organisation für wirtschaftlichen Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung (OECD), Andreas Wörgötter, am Mittwoch in Paris.(OECD report)
• OECD kritisiert angestaubtes Frauenbild - Die Welt
  09/04/2008 - Die Wirtschaftsexperten der OECD fordern von der Bundesregierung Reformen, damit der Aufschwung anhält. So soll der Staat mehr Frauen die Berufstätigkeit ermöglichen, Real- und Hauptschule zusammenlegen – und Entlassungen erleichtern. Offenbar passt der OECD der deutsche Gesellschaftsentwurf nicht. (OECD report)
  

Education

• Ost-Erfolg bei Pisa macht Westländer neidisch - Oliver Trenkamp, Der Spiegel
  18/11/2008 - Gymnasiasten schneiden hervorragend ab, aber auch die Mittelschüler schlagen sich gut: Sachsen und Thüringen brillieren im Bildungsvergleich der Pisa-E-Studie - denn die Schulreformen der Nach-Wende-Zeit zahlen sich aus.
• Fürs Arbeitsleben ungeeignet - Cerstin Gammelin, Süddeutsche Zeitung
  18/11/2008 - ...Die Studie vergleicht Hochschulsysteme aus siebzehn Ländern, die der OECD angehören.
• Saxony Moves to Front of German Education Class - Deutsche Welle
  18/11/2008 - ...PISA-E is the national equivalent to the PISA, the triennial worldwide test of 15-year-old schoolchildren's scholastic performance implemented by the OECD.
• Deutschland fällt bei Spitzenausbildung zurück - Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
  09/09/2008 - Deutschland verliert bei der Ausbildung von hoch qualifizierten Nachwuchskräften international weiter an Boden. Dies zeigt der am Dienstag veröffentlichte Bildungsbericht 2008 der OECD, der die Entwicklung der Bildungssysteme in den 30 wichtigsten Industrienationen der Welt miteinander vergleicht. (OECD report)
• Deutschland fällt bei Akademikerausbildung zurück - Die Welt
  09/09/2008 - Das deutsche Bildungssystem bringt immer weniger Nachwuchs- und Spitzenkräfte hervor. Das belegt der Bildungsbericht 2008 der OECD. (OECD report)
  

Employment

• OECD gibt dem deutschen Arbeitsmarkt schlechte Noten - Die Welt
  03/07/2008 - ...Unter den 30 OECD-Ländern wiesen 2007 lediglich Polen und die Slowakei noch höhere Quoten als Deutschland auf, geht aus dem Beschäftigungsausblick der OECD hervor. (OECD report)

Environment

• Germany to Use Heat-Warning System to Cope With Global Warming - Jeremy van Loon, Bloomberg
  15/04/2008 - ...By 2030, the number of premature deaths worldwide caused by airborne particles will double to almost 400 per million inhabitants, while deaths from ground-level ozone, a condition worsened by higher temperatures, will quadruple, according to the Paris-based OECD.

Fighting corruption

• Former Deutsche Post boss charged - BBC News
  7/11/2008 - ...Last year, the OECD added Liechtenstein to its blacklist of unco-operative tax havens.

Social issues

• Deutschland verarmt - Stern
  21/10/2008 - Die Reichen werden immer reicher, die Armen immer ärmer: In Deutschland haben die Einkommensunterschiede stark zugenommen, berichtet die OECD in einer neuen Studie. (OECD report)
• Abstieg von Staats wegen - Dorothea Siems, Die Welt
  20/05/2008 - ...Die OECD hatte im vergangenen Herbst ebenfallsgerügt, dass die Steuer- und Abgabenbelastung in Deutschland im unteren und mittleren Einkommensbereich Spitzenwerte erreiche.

Taxation

• Germany probe casts shadow on Liechtenstein banks - Douwe Miedema, Forbes
  18/02/2008 - ...Liechtenstein, one of only three remaining countries on the OECD's blacklist of uncooperative tax havens, has been trying to burnish its reputation for years, saying its banks offered financial expertise, not ways to evade tax.
  

Greece

Economy

• Greek Prime Minister Karamanlis Wins Re-Election - Harry Papachristou, Bloomberg
  17/09/07 - ...The OECD calls the country's pension system a "fiscal time-bomb."
• Griechenlands Erfolg fehlt es an Beständigkeit - Neue Zürcher Zeitung
  30/05/2007 - Griechenland war im vergangenen Jahrzehnt eines der am schnellsten wachsenden Industrieländer (nach Irland), die der OECD angehören, und hat die Einkommenslücke zu reicheren Mitgliedern immer weiter geschlossen. (OECD report)

Hungary

Economy

• OECD calls on Hungary to stick to economic reform path -  The Earth Times
  09/04/2008 - The OECD called Thursday for Hungary to stick to economic reforms in the wake of a coalition crisis that threatens the former East Bloc nation's attempts to cut its budget deficit. (OECD report)
• Hungary falls behind Slovakia in growth as taxes rise - International Herald Tribune
  11/02/2008 - ...The OECD says Hungary should cut its high social security contributions, mainly those paid by employers, who pay over 30 percent on top of taxes and contributions paid by employees.
• Hungary should cut labour tax to boost growth-OECD - The Guardian
  21/01/2008 - Hungary should cut its social security contributions, mainly those paid by employers, in order to boost growth and employment, a tax expert at the OECD said on Monday.
  

Iceland

Economy

• Island ist bankrott? - Matthias Kamann, Die Welt
  09/10/2008 - ...Am 21. August stellte es eine Studie vor, in der auf der Basis von OECD- und EU-Daten untersucht wurde, welche von 285 Regionen in ganz Europa am besten auf die wirtschaftlichen und demografischen Herausforderungen der Zukunft vorbereitet sei. And the winner was - Iceland!
• Iceland may need to raise rates further - OECD - The Guardian
  27/02/2008 - Reuters - Iceland's central bank may need to raise interest rates, currently at a record high 13.75 percent, even further to bring inflation back in line with its target, the OECD said in a report on Thursday. (OECD report)

Social issues

• The World's Hardest-Working Moms - William Pentland, Forbes
  30/10/2008 - ..."In many [industrialized economies, an] increasing female (especially maternal) labor supply is seen as being important to maintaining economic growth and ensuring sustainable pension and social protection systems more generally," according to a new study, called "Babies & Bosses" by the OECD.
  

India

Economy

• India's growth could be even better, says OECD - Andrew Buncombe, The Independent
  10/10/2007 - India's already impressive economic growth could improve even more if it further opened its markets and relaxed government controls, according to the OECD. (OECD report)
• OECD urges more reforms to lift India’s annual growth to 10% - Ashling O’Connor, The Times
  10/10/2007 - India could sustain annual economic growth of 10 per cent by 2011 if the Government persists with market reforms, including a removal of the foreign investment cap in the insurance sector, the OECD said yesterday. (OECD report)
• OECD says India's current economic growth sustainable - International Herald Tribune
  10/10/2007 - India's current economic growth — averaging 8.5 percent annually over the past four years — appears sustainable, but the country can do even better by further opening its markets and easing government control, the OECD said Tuesday. (OECD report)
  

Indonesia

Economy

• OECD seeks more active dialogue with Indonesia - Angel Gurria, The Jakarta Post
  25/07/2008 - The OECD is publishing its first comprehensive Economic Assessment of Indonesia. This initiative is important because it is linked to our efforts to strengthen cooperation with a number of important non-member countries.

Ireland

Economy

• Urgent need for public service reform - The Sunday Times
  27/09/2008 - ...Nothing, of course, can be done until the task force that was appointed to deliberate on a report into the public service commissioned by the government last year and carried out by the Paris-based OECD makes its findings known.
• Les ombres sur la prospérité irlandaise profitent aux partisans du «non» - Nathalie Lacube, La Croix
  09/06/2008 - La somme des actifs immobilisés (usines, bureaux, sièges sociaux…) et des capitaux issus de l’investissement étranger en Irlande représente 26 fois son produit intérieur brut annuel, relève l’OCDE. (Rapport OCDE)

Israel

Economy

• Bank of Israel expects stable foreign investment - Sharon Wrobel, The Jerusalem Post
  19/08/2008 - Israel's admission to the OECD and its possible reclassification from emerging market to developed market is not expected to have a negative impact on foreign investment, the Bank of Israel said Monday.

Italy

Education

• Italy embraces Silvio, again and again - The Economist
  17/04/2008 - ...Education is a mess. Italy does worse than anywhere else in western Europe in the OECD's PISA tests.
  

Economy

• L'Ocse vede nero il futuro dell'Italia: inflazione e deficit - L’Unità online
  05/06/2008 - Non è per niente ottimista sull'Italia, l'Organizzazione per la cooperazione e lo sviluppo economico, che mercoledì ha pubblicato il suo Outlook globale. Al contrario prevede un aumento del carovita, un peggioramento dei conti pubblici e una crescita dei disoccupati. (OECD report)
• L'Ocse riduce le stime del Pil in Italia - La Stampa
  04/06/2008 - L’Ocse lancia un nuovo allarme sui conti pubblici italiani. (OECD report)
• Italian Industrial Output Falls for Fourth Month - Bloomberg
  11/02/2008 - ...The OECD forecast that the euro-region will expand 1.9 percent, indicating that the Italian growth will lag behind that of the euro region for a 13th year in 2008.

Migrations

• Italian government may use soldiers to crack down on mafia - Nick Squires, Daily Telegraph
  19/09/2008 - ...There are 400,000 African immigrants in Italy, according to the OECD. (OECD report)
  

Japan

Development assistance

• Japan falls to 5th place in OECD's 2007 ODA donor ranking - Thai News Agency
  03/04/2008 - Japan has slipped two ranks to fifth place in the list of official foreign aid donors in 2007 based on calculations by the OECD, falling at a pace faster than expected, government sources said Wednesday. (OECD report)
  

Economy

• Why Japan Has Slipped Into Recession - Time
  18/11/2008 - The OECD projects that 2009 GDP will grow 0.1% in Japan, compared with 0.9% in the U.S. and 0.5% across the Eurozone.
• Japan's Nakagawa to Stick With Balanced Budget Goal - Keiko Ujikane, Bloomberg
  25/09/2008 - ... Japan's government set that target so that it could start to cut debt that the OECD estimates is about 180 percent of the economy.

Employment

• OECD: Japan Wasting Its Female Labor Power - Shu-Ching Jean Chen, Forbes
  03/07/2008 - ...The OECD made the assertion in its first report on the issue of discrimination. (OECD report)

Information technologies

• Japan tops world broadband study - BBC News
  12/09/2008 - ...The study focused on countries in Europe, North America, the OECD, Brazil, Russia, India and China (Brics).

Social issues

• Grappling with child poverty - Kazuo Otsu, Yomiuri Shimbun
  15/10/2008 - According to statistics released by the OECD, one out of every seven Japanese children under 17 lives in poverty.
  

Korea

• S. Korea Ranks Bottom in No. of Foreign Laborers - KBS
  24/08/2008 - A new report finds that the number of foreign workers in the nation accounted for less than one percent of all laborers. The proportion is one of the lowest among member states of the OECD.
• 4 OECD-Korea Centers Merge to Boost Efficiency, Synergy - Michael Ha, The Korea Times
  07/07/2008 - ...The government officially launched a research and educational center Monday that combines four existing offices working with the OECD.
• South Korea gets serious about reducing its dependence on foreign oil - Sarah J. Wachter, International Herald Tribune
  20/06/2008 - ...That has put pressure on the Korean currency, the won, which by mid-June had lost about 11 percent of its value against the dollar so far this year, adding to the pain of high oil prices, said Randall Jones, an economist at the OECD.

Information Technologies

• Korea Leads in Fiber Broadband Connection - Kim Hyun-cheol, The Korea Times
  28/10/2008 - ..."It's a big shift. There's a shift in the industry toward fiber and we're seeing it first in Korea and Japan," OECD economist Taylor Reynolds was quoted as saying.

Luxembourg

Social issues

• Luxembourg dismisses low loo tally -  Scotsman
  08/03/2007 - ...The Paris-based OECD, a free-market body with 30 mainly rich member countries, said the figure included in a broad review of living conditions, might be wide of the mark but that its data had been supplied by Luxembourg.
  

Mexico

Competition policy

• Mexico to Begin Antitrust Probe of Slim's Companies - Adriana Arai, Bloomberg
  29/10/2007 - ...Perez Motta reiterated criticism that Telmex and Telcel rates in Mexico are among the highest within the 30 countries in the OECD. Telmex disputes the OECD figures because the study adjusts prices for the purchasing power of each country.

Economy

• Generalizar el IVA, propone la OCDE - El Financiero
  05/10/2007 - La reforma fiscal responde a la necesidad de reforzar las finanzas públicas, pero en el largo plazo México debe considerar la aplicación del IVA en bienes y servicios que ahora tienen tasa cero, planteó la OCDE. (OECD report)
• Sugiere OCDE a México mejorar eficiencia en gasto público - José Manuel Arteaga, El Universal
  04/10/2007 - Una vez que México concretó exitosamente su Reforma Fiscal, ahora debe mejorar la eficiencia del gasto público, aseguró la OCDE. (OECD report)

Education

• Ve OCDE en reforma educativa el paso a un México mejor - Nurit Martínez, El Universal
  15/05/2008 - El anuncio de la reforma educativa puede ser el paso a un nuevo México, de un México mejor, estimó el secretario general de la OCDE, José Ángel Gurría.

Social issues

• México, país de la OCDE con la tasa más alta de pobreza infantil - Patricia Munoz Rios, La Jornada
  30/08/2007 - Entre las naciones de la OCDE, México es el país con la tasa más alta de pobreza infantil, por lo que las acciones de atención a los niños en situación de calle no deben darse por medio de actos aislados, pues es necesario llegar a la conjunción de esfuerzos entre el sector público y las organizaciones sociales.

Territorial economy

• México pierde terreno en el agro ante EU - El Universal
  24/07/2007 - ...Según la OCDE, sólo 10 productos agrícolas de exportación de México representan cerca de la mitad de las ventas al exterior, pero ha habido algunos cambios en la composición de estos productos en los últimos años.

Netherlands

Economy

• OESO pleit voor versoepeling ontslagrecht - Het Financieele Dagblad
  31/01/2008 - De OESO, een organisatie van westerse landen, pleit in het jaarlijkse rapport over de Nederlandse economie voor versoepeling van ontslagrecht en verhoging van de AOW-leeftijd. (OECD report)
• OECD sees risks to Dutch growth from markets, housing - The Guardian
  31/01/2008 - (Reuters) - The Dutch economy is expected to grow above its potential rate this year and next, but faces substantial risks from turbulence on financial markets and potential house price stagnation, the OECD said on Thursday. (OECD report)

Environment

• Dutch Face Growing Pressures On Rural Land - OECD - Planet Ark
  04/06/2008 - The Netherlands will face conflicting pressures on rural land in coming years as population growth and climate change create new demands for use, according to an OECD report released on Tuesday. (OECD report)

Territorial economy

• Drohender Verkehrsinfarkt in den niederländischen Metropolen - Neue Zürcher Zeitung
  27/02/2007 - In den Niederlanden wird es immer schwieriger, sich im Ballungsgebiet Randstad fortzubewegen. Die Staus werden von Jahr zu Jahr länger, und die Kapazitäten der Bahn gehören zu den am wenigsten entwickelten in Westeuropa. Die Situation ist laut einem Bericht der OECD ernster als in anderen Ballungsräumen des Kontinents.

New Zealand

Economy

• OECD report a cause for concern - Melanie Carroll and Simon Louisson, The New Zealand Herald
  30/04/2007 - ..."What really matters is living standards are quite a lot below the OECD median and they don't seem to be catching up," said Deborah Roseveare, who heads the OECD's New Zealand desk. (OECD report)
• New Zealand Living Standards Lag - Forbes
  23/04/2007 - New Zealand's living standards lag behind those of other developed countries despite its economy being one of the most flexible and resilient after 20 years of wide-ranging reforms, the OECD said Tuesday. (OECD report)

Innovation

• Spending on the future - Anthony Scott, The New Zealand Herald
  24/09/07 - ...As the recent OECD review on New Zealand's innovation policy notes: "The most important economic challenge is to raise income per capita sustainably by boosting productivity growth." That is a research, science and technology challenge. (OECD report)
  

Norway

Economy

• Norway urged to extend pension reform - Keren Holland, Global Pensions
  20/08/2008 - ... In its latest Economic Survey of Norway, the OECD said over the next 10-20 years, public finances in Norway were in relatively good shape, partly because of increasing revenues in the Government Pension Fund – Global, but also because the effects of the ageing population were coming later in Norway than other countries. (OECD report)
• OECD report: Norway must continue careful use of its oil income - The Norway Post
  The OECD says in its latest survey that the restrictive use of Norway's oil income is positive for the nation's economy. However, the OECD underlines the importance of completing the public pension reform, in order to encourage more people to stay longer on the job.
  These are the two main points in OECD's economic survey of Norway which was presented Wednesday. (OECD report)
• Norway Should Mull Higher Rates to Quell Overheating, OECD Says - Tasneem Brogger, Bloomberg
  20/08/2008 -...  ``The continuing strength of the economy in early 2008 is certainly a reminder that the danger of overheating will not recede immediately and interest rates may need to go higher,'' the Paris-based OECD said in an e-mailed report released today. ``In view of ongoing inflationary pressures, it is too early to say whether monetary policy has been successful in stabilising inflation close to the target,'' the OECD said. (OECD report)
• OECD says Norway set for slowdown but monetary policy will need to remain tight - Forbes
  20/08/2008 - ... 'The strong growth performance that the Norwegian mainland economy recorded in the last few years is coming to an end. Weaker global demand and lower consumer borrowing will cause a significant slowdown both in 2008 and 2009,' the OECD said in a report on the country's economy. (OECD report)
  

Environment

• Norway’s environmental policy in line with OECD recommendations - The Norway Post
  06/03/2008 - Norway’s environmental policy is in line with OECD recommendations. This is confirmed by the OECD Environmental Outlook to 2030, presented in Oslo Wednesday. (OECD report)
  

Poland

Economy

• OECD report shows growth in excess of 6% of Poland's GDP - Polskie Radio
  12/06/2008 - During the past two years, this country has recorded its best economic performance since the late 1990s, with growth exceeding 6% of its GDP. This data is presented in the latest OECD economic survey of Poland presented in Warsaw. (OECD report)

Portugal

Economy

• Portugal requires improved business environment, flexible labour market - OECD - Forbes
  25/06/2008 - The Portuguese economy requires an improvement in the business environment and a more flexible labour market to reap the benefits of globalisation and head toward a durable decline in unemployment, the OECD said on Wednesday in its 2008 economic survey of Portugal. (OECD report)
• Verhaltenes Lob der OECD für Portugal - Neue Zürcher Zeitung
  25/06/2008 - Die OECD attestiert Portugal Fortschritte beim Abbau des Haushaltsdefizites und lobt verschiedene Reformprojekte der Regierung. Allerdings schöpfe das Land sein Potenzial nicht aus. (OECD report)
  

Russia

• Russian membership of global clubs at stake: U.S. - Reuters
  12/08/2008  - ... a senior U.S. official said on Tuesday : "Russia is going to have to ensure its integration into the WTO, and OECD and the G8 and institutions like that," the U.S. official told reporters, referring to plans by the government of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to join important global clubs.
• EE.UU. estudia castigar a Rusia con su exclusión de organismos internacionales - LaVanguardia
  12/08/2008 - (EFE) - EE.UU. y sus aliados están evaluando, como castigo por los ataques contra Georgia, impedir la entrada de Rusia en organismos internacionales como la OMC y la OCDE, y excluirla del G8, según fuentes estadounidenses.
• OECD invites Russia in as expansion gets under way - Rory Watson, The Times
  17/05/2007 - The OECD decided to broaden its membership yesterday by inviting Russia to join and holding out the possibility of future expansion to include emerging powerhouses such as China and India.

Economy

• Russia's Economy Looks Good From Davos - Andrew McChesney, The Moscow Times
  25/01/2008 -  ...Angel Gurria, secretary-general of the OECD, also said he saw a double standard when it came to Russia and the stabilization fund. "Why do people want to do business with Gazprom but not with a Russian sovereign wealth fund?" he said at a session Wednesday.

Slovenia

• Minister Discusses Membership, Reforms with Senior OECD Official  - Borza
  24/07/2007 - Development Minister Ziga Turk received Aart Jan de Geus, deputy secretary general of the OECD, on Tuesday, 24 July, discussing with him Slovenia's OECD accession process, the effects of OECD membership on Slovenia and key factors for the success of social reform, the Government Growth Office said in a press release.
  

Slovak Republic

Economy

• The cost of euro adoption: one good meal - The Slovak Spectator
  OECD says average household price rise will be Sk504... The impacts of the cash changeover scheduled in 2009 will be manageable for society and its effects are likely to be small in aggregate, though it might lead to significant price increases in a number of sectors, most notably tourism and recreational activities, the OECD said.
• OECD tells Slovakia to continue reforms after euro - Forbes
  17/07/2008 - Reuters - Slovakia should use adoption of the euro currency in 2009 to deepen reforms that will boost competition and support economic growth, the OECD said on Thursday.
• Slovakia on track to join euro in 2009, OECD says - International Herald Tribune
  05/04/2007 - ..."Slovakia is well placed to meet the conditions for euro adoption in 2009," the Paris-based group of 30 industrialized countries said in a survey on Slovakia released during a visit of its secretary-general, Angel Gurria, to Bratislava. (OECD report)

South Africa

Economy

• Trevor Manuel on tax reforms - Cape Times
  28/08/2008 - Reforming tax administration is crucial to addressing poverty... Finance Minister Trevor Manuel told the opening of the Tax Africa inaugural conference, that the challenges facing the continent included finding ways to escape the dependence on foreign assistance and indebtedness...Deputy secretary general of the OECD, Pier Carlo Padoan, agreed that dialogue by tax administrations in Africa was essential.
• South Africa unemployment falls to 23.1 pct in Q2 2008 - Reuters
  28/08/2008 - South Africa's jobless rate was at 23.1 percent of the labour force in the second quarter of 2008 from 23.5 percent in the first quarter, a revamped quarterly labour report showed on Thursday... In July the OECD singled out unemployment as a key challenge to South Africa's economic development.
• South Africa: Growth and the State - allAfrica.com
  21/07/2008 - ...The OECD, in an assessment of SA released last week, criticised the government's plan to spur growth through industrial incentives, saying the plan risked preserving the apartheid-era pattern of protecting national champions insulated from foreign competition and enjoying high mark-ups. (OECD report)
• State too dominant in SA’s economy — OECD - Mariam Isa, Business Day
  16/07/2008 - SA must do more to improve competition in its economy, and is giving the state too big a role in tackling the constraints to growth, the OECD has said. (OECD report)
• Growing nowhere slowly - Robert Laing, The Times
  16/07/2008 - Government policies, ranging from its reliance on state-owned monopolies to its accelerated and shared growth initiative and black economic empowerment, were roasted in the OECD’s first analysis of this country. (OECD report)
• South African Regulations, State Curbs Competition - Nasreen Seria, Bloomberg
  15/07/2008 - South African regulations on investment are restrictive and state involvement in the economy is high, undermining competition and economic growth, the OECD said. (OECD report)
• OECD report frankly assesses SA's problems - Evan Pickworth, Mail&Guardian
  16/07/2008 - The OECD secretary general, Angel Gurria, said on Tuesday that in the coming years the OECD will seek active dialogue with South Africa as an enhanced engagement partner. (OECD report)

Spain

• España en la nueva OCDE - Ángel Gurría, El Pais
  08/09/2008 - ...La importancia que España le otorga a la OCDE, y su propia contribución a la resolución de los desafíos globales son para nosotros motivo de gran satisfacción y orgullo.

Economy

• La caída del precio de los pisos se acelera - El Pais
  13/08/2008 - El ajuste es especialmente acusado en la costa mediterránea, que baja el 6,2%...
  ...Con ser importantes, los expertos consideran que estas disminuciones de precios todavía no son suficientes como para reanimar un sector en estado de coma. Organismos tan respetables como el Fondo Monetario Internacional o la OCDE han avisado en los últimos meses de que la vivienda en España está sobrevalorada entre un 20% y un 30%.

Education

• El modelo finlandés se implanta en España - Noelia Hernández, Gaceta.es
  20/08/2008 - ... El país nórdico lidera el ránking de los 28 que analiza la OCDE, al obtener la mejor puntuación en las tres materias que se evalúan —Matemáticas, Ciencias y Lectura—. A gran distancia se queda España, que ocupa el puesto 24, por debajo de la media de los países de la OCDE  y superada por República Checa, Irlanda, Polonia, Suecia, Eslovenia, Hungría...
  

Environment

• Regadíos contra el medio ambiente - María García de la Fuente, Público.es
  17/08/2008 - Un informe de la OCDE advierte de la falta de control sobre las extracciones de agua subterránea para agricultura en España, el aumento de la contaminación en algunos puntos y los problemas de erosión... La agricultura utiliza el 59% del suelo y el 75% del agua, a pesar de que la superficie agraria disminuyó en un 3,5% entre 1990 y 2004, según un reciente informe de la OCDE sobre el Comportamiento medioambiental de la agricultura en la OCDE desde 1990

Taxation

• Spain wants 'tax haven' Gibraltar blacklisted - Fiona Govan, Daily Telegraph
  17/03/2008 - ...Spanish authorities will this week ask the OECD to list the disputed territory as "uncooperative" because it is failing to help investigate financial corruption.

Territorial Economy

• Madrid, cuarto centro financiero mundial... por encargo - Soledad Alcaide, El Pais
  02/04/2008 - ...En la clasificación de la OCDE, que contempla las 80 ciudades más importantes del mundo, Madrid está en el número 50.
  

Sweden  

Economy

• OECD lauds Sweden's economic strength - People's Daily
  20/02/2007 - Sweden's economy is one of Europe's strongest and is set for further solid growth this year, Radio Sweden reported on Monday, quoting a report of the OECD. (OECD report)
  

Switzerland

Agriculture

• Schweiz subventioniert ihre Bauern weiter stark - Neue Zürcher Zeitung
  23/10/2007 - Die Schweiz gehört immer noch zu den Ländern mit den höchsten Subventionen für die Landwirtschaft. Das hält der jüngste OECD-Bericht zur Agrarpolitik fest. (OECD report)
  

Fighting corruption

• La Suisse au banc des accusés de la fiscalité - Swissinfo
  22/10/2008 - La France et l'Allemagne ont organisé mardi à Paris une réunion de l'OCDE associant 17 pays pour discuter des paradis fiscaux.

Economy

•  Prognose für Wirtschaftswachstum im 2009 gesenkt   - Cash
  04/06/2008 - Die OECD hat ihre Prognose für das Schweizer Wirtschaftswachstum im 2009 wegen den Turbulenzen an den Finanzmärkten von 2 auf 1,4 Prozent gesenkt. Für das laufende Jahr rechnet sie weiterhin mit 2 Prozent.   (OECD report)
  

Environment

• Engagement zu Biodiversität gefordert - St.Gallen online
  20/05/2008 - ...Dieses Ziel drohe aber verfehlt zu werden, erklärte Pro Natura und verwies auf eine Studie der OECD. (OECD report)

Turkey

Economy

• OECD report guides the path from - Turkish Daily News
  15/08/2008 - Evaluating OECD's latest review of the Turkish economy, Rauf Gönenç said the organization identified three main areas for action.(OECD report)
• OECD calls on Turkey to stick to reform - Zaman
  18/07/2008 - ...In its latest "Economic Survey of Turkey," released yesterday as part of its biannual studies about its 30 member countries, the OECD also recommended launching more supportive structural conditions for the business sector, which is seen as the driving engine of sustainable economic growth. (OECD report)
• OECD: Turkey’s productivity, labor utilization low - Zaman
  05/03/2008 - Governments in many OECD countries have made good but uneven progress over the past 12 months in implementing economic reforms needed to improve living standards, according to the OECD’s “Going for Growth 2008” report. (OECD report)

Fighting corruption

• OECD expresses 'serious concerns' over Turkish anti-bribery efforts - Forbes
  08/01/2008 - (Thomson Financial) - The OECD said it has 'serious concerns' about Turkey's implementation of the OECD anti-bribery convention.

United Kingdom

Fighting corruption

• U.K. laws fail to halt bribery abroad, OECD finds - International Herald Tribune
  17/10/2008 - British laws are unable to prevent corporate bribery abroad and fall short of international standards, the OECD said Friday.
• Britain a dangerous place to do business, OECD to warn - Jon Swaine, Daily Telegraph
  17/10/2008 - The anti-bribery group of the OECD - which comprises 30 leading democracies - is preparing to mount a fierce criticism of Britain.
• Defence industry awaits "nasty" report - Russell Hotten, Daily Telegraph
  15/10/2008 - The report, by the OECD, is thought likely to attack Britain's record on prosecuting companies and individuals who have allegedly paid bribes to foreign officials in order to secure contracts.
• Scandals worsen Britain's image in corruption league table - Rob Evans, The Guardian
  24/09/2008 - ...Britain's record on foreign bribery will come under renewed scrutiny in October when the OECD, which enforces the 1997 convention, reports the outcome of its investigation into the UK's compliance with the treaty.

Economy

• IMF predicts UK recession and house price falls up to 30% - Sean O'Grady, The Independent
  09/10/2008 - ...The IMF joins the OECD, the European Commission, the Bank of England and a score of City economists in anticipating a year of stagnation or worse: 2009 would be the first year of recession seen in the UK since 1991.
• Bank set to cut interest rates to prevent slump - Sean O'Grady, The Independent
  02/10/2008 - ...Angel Gurria, the secretary general of the OECD, the international club of developed economies, said yesterday: "We are facing the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression."
• Grim backdrop to UK rate decision - BBC News
  04/09/2008 - ...The OECD has forecast that the UK economy will contract in the current quarter and the next - meeting the official definition of a recession.
• OECD says UK is worst placed in G7 to withstand global downturn - Sean O'Grady, The Independent
  03/09/2008 - Britain is the worst placed among the world's major econ-omies to withstand the impact of a global slowdown – and the only one forecast to be in recession this year, according to the respected OECD.
• Economy: OECD predicts UK recession this year - Ashley Seager, The Guardian
  02/09/2008 - ...The Paris-based OECD, releasing its latest set of economic forecasts, said the ongoing effects of the credit crunch and weakening housing market will cause the British economy - the world's fifth largest - to shrink by 0.3% in the current quarter and by 0.4% in the October to December period.
• Britain will fall into recession this year - Angela Jameson, The Times
  02/09/2008 - ...Jorgen Elmeskov, acting head of the economics department of the OECD, said that economic activity in the UK was expected to remain "broadly flat".
• UK recession this year, OECD says - Steve Schifferes, BBC News
  02/09/2008 - The UK economy is likely to fall into recession this year, according to the OECD.

Education

• Brown prepares for make-or-break speech - The Independent
  23/09/2008 - ...The PM will cite OECD research suggesting having a computer at home can add as much as two terms' worth of progress to students' achievements.
• Britain fares poorly in international schools league table - Nicola Woolcock, The Times
  09/09/2008 - ...Andreas Schleicher, head of analysis for the OECD education directorate, said the UK had improved but that “the world has moved much faster”. (OECD report)
• OECD education report: UK slipping in graduate league table - Graeme Paton, The Daily Telegraph
  09/09/2008 - ...The OECD said that university graduates in the UK aged 25 to 64 earned 59 per cent more than other people – well above the international average. They also have a much better chance of finding good jobs. (OECD report)
• Student growth risks widening gap - BBC News
  09/09/2008 - Each year the OECD publishes an Education at a Glance guide to international trends in school and university in more than 30 countries, showing how industrialised economies compare in terms of spending and results in education. (OECD report)
• British class sizes among highest in world - Jessica Shepherd, The Guardian
  09/09/2008 - ...Only Japan, Korea and Turkey have more crowded classrooms in their primary schools, the OECD found in its annual report comparing education across the world. (OECD report)
• UK headteachers 'best paid' in the world - Anthea Lipsett,  The Guardian
  29/08/2008 - However, schools around the world are in danger of being overburdened by bureaucracy and the demands of testing, and will struggle to find headteachers as a result, found the OECD's school leadership study.
• English pupils 'among the most tested in the world' - Aislinn Simpson, Daily Telegraph
  29/08/2008 -... The report by the OECD says the level of regulation imposed on schools risks backfiring and emphasises concerns about Ofsted inspections and league table

Employment

• Skilled workers fear for future as jobless figures point to recession - Kathryn Hopkins, The Guardian
  13/08/2008 - Unemployment figures out today will add to fears that the UK is about to enter recession for the first time since the early 1990s... The OECD predicted last month that UK unemployment was likely to rise by more than 100,000, sending the jobless rate up to about 5.8% by the end of next year. (OECD report)
• Warning of recession risk for UK - Richard Blackden, Daily Telegraph
  20/07/2008 - ...While forecasts for the UK labour market are getting gloomier - the OECD expects unemployment to rise by over 100,000 within two years - job cuts so far have been largely confined to the construction, retail and banking industries. (OECD report)
• Job shortage for unskilled youths - BBC News
  09/07/2008 - ...A report from the OECD shows worsening conditions for poorly-qualified 16 to 24 year olds. (OECD report)
• Unskilled faring worse internationally - Natasha Gilbert, The Guardian
  09/07/2008 - ...But more highly qualified young people find work than their counterparts in many other countries, says the figures in a report from the OECD, out today. (OECD report)

Energy

• UK energy bill rises 'double' EU - BBC News
  OECD statistics showed gas and electricity bills rose 29.7% in the past year compared with 15% in the EU.

Information technologies

• Britain finally signs up to making government data free for re-use - Michael Cross, The Guardian
  26/06/2008 - ...The commitment to make public sector information free, or charge no more than the marginal cost of maintaining and distributing the extra copy, appears in the Seoul declaration for the future of the internet economy, signed in the South Korean capital last week. The UK was one of nearly 40 countries to endorse the declaration, drawn up by the OECD club of developed nations.

Social issues

• Gains in social mobility will not last, warn gloomy Tories - Michael White, The Guardian
  04/11/2008 - ...Last month's OECD report that inequality and poverty "fell faster in the UK" than in any comparable country in 2000-05 - albeit modestly - was welcomed after years of negative findings. (OECD report)
• An older population demands new thinking - James Forsyth, Daily Telegraph
  24/08/2008 - ... The OECD projects that the ratio of the inactive population over 65 to the total workforce will go from 31 per cent to 51 per cent between now and 2030.
• Fair wages are a fantasy in the brutal underside of Cowboy Boss Britain - Madeleine Bunting, The Guardian
  05/05/2008 - ...The OECD puts Britain second only to the US for the lowest levels of employment protection in the developed world.

United States

Economy

• US Corporate Taxes Now 50% Higher Than OECD Average - Mike Godfrey, Tax-News.com
  15/08/2008 - A new study by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has shown that the United States is effectively moving backwards in terms of corporate tax competitiveness with its continued failure to lower rates.
• "Deepest US housing slump" OECD warns - James Quinn, Daily Telegraph
  21/03/2008 - The United States will come to an economic standstill in the second quarter of this year as it struggles under the weight of what could prove to be the worst housing slump in history, the OECD has predicted.
• US recession looms as growth heads for zero - Gary Duncan, The Times
  21/03/2008 - The US economy is on the brink of recession, with growth grinding to a halt because of what will probably be America’s worst housing slump on record, the OECD said yesterday.
• OECD slashes US growth forecast - BBC News
  20/03/2008 - The OECD says the US economy is "moving sideways".

Informations technologies

• The Sad State of U.S. Broadband - Catherine Holahan, BusinessWeek
  22/05/2008 - ...For the second year running, the U.S. ranked 15th among the 30 members of the OECD in terms of broadband availability.
• Is the U.S. falling behind in broadband? - San Francisco Chronicle
  20/05/2008 - The OECD came out with its latest figures on broadband penetration and the situation appears to be getting worse for the U.S.