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  • 1
    Language: English
    Pages: 1 Online-Ressource (25 p.) , 21 x 28cm.
    Series Statement: OECD Economics Department Working Papers no.1767
    Keywords: Economics ; Slovenia
    Abstract: This paper provides evidence on the effects of digitalisation on the labour market in Slovenia using a unique dataset of Slovenian workers and firms for the years 2016 to 2020. Results show that at the firm level, digitalisation – measured in terms of ICT investment, is associated with positive and statistically significant effects on employment. However, job growth is not evenly distributed: High-skilled workers and younger workers benefit the most from employment gains, whereas there is little to no employment increases for low- and medium-skilled workers and older workers aged 50 or more. Furthermore, employment effects from digitalisation are strongest for private manufacturing firms. In contrast, ICT investment by state-owned firms is not associated with employment gains.
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  • 2
    Language: English
    Pages: 1 Online-Ressource (27 p.) , 21 x 28cm.
    Series Statement: OECD Economics Department Working Papers no.1766
    Keywords: Economics ; Slovenia
    Abstract: This paper provides evidence on the impact of digitalisation on productivity in Slovenia during the COVID-19 crisis. The pandemic affected overall labour productivity negatively. Nonetheless, results show that firms that were more ICT-intensive before the pandemic experienced a smaller decline in their labour productivity growth compared to their less ICT-intensive peers in the same 2-digit level sector. This resilience effect was strongest for firms that are integrated in global value chains. A second finding is that COVID-19 resulted in productivity-enhancing reallocation of labour to ICT-intensive firms, reflecting that these firms registered higher employment growth relative to their less ICT-intensive peers during the pandemic. A third finding is that high levels of state ownership in a sector was associated with less productivity-enhancing reallocation. This suggests that state-owned enterprises retained workers that could be redirected to more productive firms. Together, these findings highlight the potential of digitalisation to support resilience and stronger productivity growth, although labour market rigidities and state ownership hamper the positive impact of digitalisation.
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  • 3
    Language: English
    Pages: 1 Online-Ressource (32 p.) , 21 x 28cm.
    Series Statement: OECD Economics Department Working Papers no.1756
    Keywords: Urban, Rural and Regional Development ; Economics
    Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a significant shift in the way people work, with an increasing number of individuals opting to work from home. Fewer commutes allow people to live further away from the city centre, where jobs typically concentrate. Against this background, this paper tests the hypothesis of a shift in housing demand away from the city centre towards the suburbs using a novel granular house price data set covering 16 OECD countries. The results indicate a flattening of the house price gradients in most large urban areas with profound consequences for housing policies and the city of the future.
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  • 4
    Language: English
    Pages: 1 Online-Ressource (46 p.) , 21 x 28cm.
    Series Statement: OECD Economics Department Working Papers no.1751
    Keywords: Environment ; Economics
    Abstract: The housing sector is one of the main sources of CO2 emissions in OECD countries, accounting for over a quarter of the total. Robust and rapid action is required to reach the net zero emission target by 2050. Decarbonising housing involves halting the use of fossil fuels in homes, ensuring that electricity is generated from carbon-free sources, using high-energy-efficiency appliances and heating systems, ensuring effective insulation and encouraging behavioural changes. This paper discusses which policy instruments can prompt this transformation of the housing sector, ranging from carbon pricing through energy labelling requirements to green housing finance.
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  • 5
    Language: English
    Pages: 1 Online-Ressource (40 p.) , 21 x 28cm.
    Series Statement: OECD Economics Department Working Papers no.1785
    Keywords: Economics
    Abstract: This study investigates the capacity of governments to reallocate spending across different functions of the government. It mobilises the COFOG dataset for the period 1996 - 2017, which allows comparing public spending mixes at detailed levels in ways that are consistent across countries and over time. Three main empirical findings are established. Firstly, countries differ in their propensity to reallocate public spending across functions and countries that reallocate more are also countries with sounder governance and tighter fiscal rules in place. Secondly, obstacles to reallocation are identified, with governments avoiding nominal cuts, especially in health and social expenditures. Thirdly, while the analysis underlines some degree of convergence among OECD countries in terms of public spending allocation, this convergence is not universal. A cluster of Nordic countries persists, and Greece is identified as diverging from the rest of countries included in the sample.
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  • 6
    Language: English
    Pages: 1 Online-Ressource (45 Seiten) , 21 x 28cm.
    Series Statement: OECD Economics Department Working Papers no.1713
    Keywords: Economics
    Abstract: The paper introduces a novel, granular house-price dataset sourced from a network of public and private data providers. It offers the first results of investigations into changes in the urban geography of housing markets following the COVID-19 pandemic. The rapid rise of working from home practices is likely to incentivise many people to seek more space and accept living further away from city centres as commuting requirements are reduced. The paper's results indicate that housing demand might have indeed shifted away from the centres to the peripheries of many large urban areas. These early results also show that such a shift has been neither universal nor uniform. It is typically stronger in cities where pre-COVID-19 house price disparities were larger and where moving to the periphery provides significantly better access to green space while still allowing easy access to high-speed internet and/or where COVID-19 restrictions were more stringent. The paper concludes by discussing implications for policy, including the benefits of flexible settings that allow supply to adjust smoothly to new demand patterns and outlining avenues for future work planned to improve and capitalise on the new dataset.
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  • 7
    Language: English
    Pages: 1 Online-Ressource (36 p.) , 21 x 28cm.
    Series Statement: OECD Economics Department Working Papers no.1693
    Keywords: Hypothek ; Immobilienfinanzierung ; OECD-Staaten ; Economics
    Abstract: The landscapes of housing loan markets vary considerably across OECD countries, reflecting differences in preferences and policy settings. This paper first draws a topography of disparities in mortgage structure, documenting considerable variation across OECD countries in key features such as in use of fixed vs variable interest rates and typical maturities. The paper then discusses policies that can influence these outcomes. It highlights the scope for encouraging inclusive access to housing through tax-and-spending programmes that are neutral between renting and owning rather than through often very costly tax advantages for mortgage borrowing. The paper finally proposes a novel indicator to measure the balance between the rights of borrowers and lenders. Mortgage markets are deepest in countries where the index shows that creditor and borrower rights are balanced rather than severely tilted to one side.
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  • 8
    Language: English
    Pages: 1 Online-Ressource (18 p.)
    Series Statement: OECD Economics Department Working Papers no.1658
    Keywords: Economics
    Abstract: This paper aims at investigating the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the automotive sector in Central and Eastern Europe. It details the effects of the pandemic and subsequent lockdown measures on the activity in the sector. It also discusses the prospects for car sales in the short to medium run, potential spillover effects in the region, and new risks to the supply chains posed by the pandemic. It shows that disruptions to the supply chains had limited impact so far and that the sector has been mainly affected by low level of demand. Going forward, the pandemic might have a significant negative impact on investment capacity, while the transition to alternative powertrains and the digital transformation of the industry require large investment and restructuring. The long-term impact on CEE economies is highly uncertain, but will depend on the capacity to maintain a comparative advantage, while the sector transforms deeply.
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  • 9
    Language: English
    Pages: 1 Online-Ressource (circa 48 Seiten) , Illustrationen
    Series Statement: OECD economic policy paper no. 25 (December 2018)
    Series Statement: OECD Economic Policy Papers no.25
    Keywords: Öffentliche Finanzen ; Wirtschaftswachstum ; Soziale Integration ; OECD-Staaten ; Economics ; Amtsdruckschrift ; Graue Literatur
    Abstract: Tax and spending reforms offer numerous opportunities to promote inclusive growth. There is potential for so-called win-win reforms that simultaneously boost economic output and enhance income equality. Other changes in the structure of public finances will produce benefits only along a single dimension, while some involve trade-offs between average income gains and adverse distributional effects. Empirical analyses of the experience of OECD countries provide evidence about which tax and spending reforms influence prosperity and income distribution -- and by how much.
    URL: Volltext  (lizenzpflichtig)
    URL: Volltext  (lizenzpflichtig)
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  • 10
    Language: French
    Pages: 1 Online-Ressource (52 p.)
    Parallel Title: Parallele Sprachausgabe Public finance structure and inclusive growth
    Keywords: Economics
    Abstract: Il existe de nombreuses possibilités pour réformer la fiscalité et les dépenses publiques de manière à promouvoir davantage de croissance et d’inclusion sociale. En particulier, il est possible de mener des réformes qui améliorent l’activité économique tout en réduisant les écarts de revenu. D’autres ajustements de la structure des finances publiques vont produire des avantages pour une seule de ces deux dimensions. Enfin, certaines réformes appellent un compromis entre une amélioration du revenu moyen et des effets distributifs défavorables. Des analyses économétriques de l’expérience acquise par les pays de l’OCDE fournissent des résultats empiriques sur quelles sont les réformes de la fiscalité et des dépenses qui ont une influence significative sur la prospérité et la distribution des revenus – et de combien.
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  • 11
    Language: English
    Pages: 1 Online-Ressource (circa 47 Seiten) , Illustrationen
    Series Statement: OECD Economics Department working papers no. 1447
    Keywords: 1980 - 2014 ; Soziale Ungleichheit ; Wirtschaftswachstum ; Haushaltseinkommen ; Besteuerungsverfahren ; OECD-Staaten ; Economics ; Amtsdruckschrift ; Graue Literatur
    Abstract: Can reforms that shift the balance among different taxes in the revenue mix lastingly influence the overall prosperity of an economy and the distribution of income across households? The present study takes this question to the data, using the experience of 34 OECD countries over 1980-2014 to assess the effects of changes in the tax structure on the long-term level of average output per capita and the distribution of disposable income across households. Changing the revenue mix while keeping government size constant typically lift long-term output per capita when they involve cuts in the labour tax wedge below or above average incomes, cuts in corporate income taxes or increases in property taxes. The relative-income effects of revenue-neutral reductions in labour tax wedges are broadly in line with intuition: the relative position of those benefitting from them typically improves. In absolute terms, however, nearly all the income distribution benefits from revenue-neutral reductions in labour tax wedges, be they focused on below or average income earners.
    Note: Zusammenfassung in französischer Sprache
    URL: Volltext  (lizenzpflichtig)
    URL: Volltext  (lizenzpflichtig)
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  • 12
    Language: English
    Pages: 1 Online-Ressource (circa 39 Seiten) , Illustrationen
    Series Statement: OECD Economics Department working papers no. 1407
    Keywords: 1978 - 2014 ; Laffer-Kurve ; Einkommensteuer ; Sozialversicherungsbeitrag ; Umsatzsteuer ; Grenzsteuersatz ; Steuereinnahmen ; Vergleich ; OECD-Staaten ; Economics ; Amtsdruckschrift ; Arbeitspapier ; Graue Literatur
    Abstract: This paper investigates the factors that shape governments’ capacity to collect revenue. To do so, it analyses how tax revenue responds to tax rates using evidence from a panel of 34 OECD countries over 1978-2014. The estimations show that the response of revenue to rates weakens as rates become higher, confirming the existence of a hump-shaped relationship between tax revenue and rates for corporate income taxation and providing a new contribution by analysing value-added taxation. Importantly, the estimated responses of revenue to tax rates vary, in some cases very strongly from an economic perspective, depending on country-specific policies and framework conditions. In particular, the corporate income tax revenue-generating potential of hiking the effective rate shrinks much more quickly in more open economies than in more closed ones. Tax revenue is found to be more responsive to tax increases in countries where the tax authorities have more resources. The investigations also cover personal income taxation. They point to diminishing revenue returns of increasing the effective marginal tax rates that apply at substantially above-average income levels.
    Note: Zusammenfassung in französischer Sprache
    URL: Volltext  (kostenfrei)
    URL: Volltext  (kostenfrei)
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  • 13
    Language: English
    Pages: 1 Online-Ressource (circa 52 Seiten) , Illustrationen
    Series Statement: OECD Economics Department working papers no. 1348
    Keywords: Regulierung ; Arbeitsmarktflexibilität ; Beschäftigungseffekt ; Arbeitnehmerschutz ; OECD-Staaten ; Economics ; Amtsdruckschrift ; Arbeitspapier ; Graue Literatur
    Abstract: Do flexibility-enhancing reforms imply more employment instability? Using individual-level data from harmonised household surveys for 26 advanced countries, this paper analyses the effects of product and labour market reforms on transitions in and out of employment. Results indicate that reforms making product markets more competitive increase transitions out of employment for less qualified and low-income workers. Less qualified and low-income workers have very high job exit rates to start with, and reforms raise these rates further. On the other hand, more pro-competitive product market regulation generally increases entry rates into employment. The concentration on less qualified and low-income workers of the increase in labour market turnover associated with product market reforms suggests a case for accompanying such reforms with labour market programmes that help the most vulnerable workers transition to new jobs. Easing employment protection for regular or temporary workers has no systematic long-term effect on workers’ probabilities to move in or out of employment. Such reforms can, however, affect employment transitions through their interaction with other policies and institutions. For example, easing employment protection for workers with regular contracts raises the job-finding chances of people out of work in countries that invest a lot in active labour market programmes. Furthermore, employment protection legislation and product market regulation are complementary in that, when either employment protection or product markets are lightly regulated, reforming the other is associated with fewer job exits.
    Note: Zusammenfassung in französischer Sprache
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  • 14
    Language: English
    Pages: 1 Online-Ressource (circa 36 Seiten) , Illustrationen
    Series Statement: OECD economic policy paper no. 19 (November 2016)
    Series Statement: OECD Economic Policy Papers no.19
    Keywords: Arbeitsmarktreform ; Mikrodaten ; Arbeitsrecht ; OECD-Staaten ; Economics ; Arbeitspapier ; Graue Literatur
    Abstract: 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. To do so, it employs specially harmonised micro-level data covering individual workers in 26 OECD countries. The micro-econometric regressions reveal that labour market reforms do not uniformly influence transitions in and out of employment but that their effects vary depending on institutions and other policy settings. For instance, making employment protection of regular contracts more flexible is associated with more transitions into employment in countries that have above-average activation programmes. As for product market reforms, they are found to boost transitions into employment, especially for women, and to have no systematic effect on exits, so that overall they tend to boost aggregate employment, in line with earlier evidence. The micro-data show that workers with low earnings potential, who, already before reforms, experience much higher transition rates in and out of employment than other groups, face particularly strong increases in employment churn when product market regulations become more flexible. Additional micro-econometric analysis focusing on sectors subject to specific product market regulation (energy, transport, communication) reveals that workers employed in tightly regulated sectors typically earn more than their peers with similar characteristics working elsewhere. Taken together, the findings can help enhance reform design, in particular by highlighting the benefits of (a) policy packages drawing on complementarities between product and labour market reforms, (b) active labour market programmes that effectively support more vulnerable workers and (c) broad reforms over narrow compensation schemes.
    Note: Zusammenfassung in französischer Sprache
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  • 15
    Online Resource
    Online Resource
    Paris : OECD Publishing
    In:  OECD Journal: Financial Market Trends Vol. 2014, no. 2, p. 63-88 | volume:2014 | year:2014 | number:2 | pages:63-88
    Language: English
    Pages: 1 Online-Ressource (26 p.) , 21 x 28cm.
    Titel der Quelle: OECD Journal: Financial Market Trends
    Angaben zur Quelle: Vol. 2014, no. 2, p. 63-88
    Angaben zur Quelle: volume:2014
    Angaben zur Quelle: year:2014
    Angaben zur Quelle: number:2
    Angaben zur Quelle: pages:63-88
    Keywords: Finance and Investment ; Economics
    Abstract: What are the economic effects of implicit bank debt guarantees and who ultimately benefits from them? This paper finds that “financial excesses” – situations where bank credit reaches levels that reduce economic growth – have been stronger in OECD countries characterised by larger values of implicit guarantees and where bank creditors have not incurred losses in bank failure resolution cases. Also, implicit bank debt guarantees benefit financial sector employees and other high-income earners in two ways, increasing income inequality. First, implicit guarantees are likely to raise financial sector pay. This is consistent with the observation of “financial sector wage premia”, or financial sector employees earning in excess of their profile in terms of age, education and other characteristics. Second, implicit guarantees are likely to result in more and cheaper bank lending. If so, well-off people tend to benefit relatively more since household credit is more unequally distributed than income. JEL classification: D63, E43, G21, G28, O47 Keywords: Bank funding costs, implicit guarantees for bank debt, bank failure resolution, finance and growth, finance and income inequality
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  • 16
    Online Resource
    Online Resource
    Paris : OECD Publishing
    In:  OECD Journal: Economic Studies Vol. 2015, no. 1, p. 179-225 | volume:2015 | year:2015 | number:1 | pages:179-225
    Language: English
    Pages: 1 Online-Ressource (47 p.) , 21 x 28cm.
    Titel der Quelle: OECD Journal: Economic Studies
    Angaben zur Quelle: Vol. 2015, no. 1, p. 179-225
    Angaben zur Quelle: volume:2015
    Angaben zur Quelle: year:2015
    Angaben zur Quelle: number:1
    Angaben zur Quelle: pages:179-225
    Keywords: Economics
    Abstract: Economic policies shape how much people earn, as well as how stable their income and jobs are. The level and stability of earnings both matter for well-being. Standard economic aggregates do not measure accurately the economic uncertainty which households are facing. This paper shows that household-level economic instability is only very loosely related to macroeconomic volatility. It uses several household-level databases to document how structural reforms aimed at boosting growth influence household-level economic stability. Movement from less to more productive processes and firms is at the heart of economic growth, which suggests a trade-off between growth and micro-level stability. Certain policy changes boost growth but increase micro-level instability: they include reductions in tax progressivity or social transfers (including unemployment benefits), as well as moves from very to moderately tight restrictions on the flow of goods and services and on the firing of regular workers. However, the analysis also uncovers that moving to highly competitive policies in general reduces micro-level instability. This finding points to a case for comprehensive rather than marginal reform in tightly regulated countries, since a comprehensive agenda can deliver higher growth without the instability costs that a more marginal reform can entail. JEL classification: D12, D22, J08, O40 Keywords: Stability, households, economic growth, reforms, microdata
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  • 17
    Online Resource
    Online Resource
    Paris : OECD Publishing
    In:  OECD Journal: Economic Studies Vol. 2013, no. 1, p. 7-89 | volume:2013 | year:2013 | number:1 | pages:7-89
    Language: English
    Pages: 1 Online-Ressource (83 p.) , 21 x 28cm.
    Titel der Quelle: OECD Journal: Economic Studies
    Angaben zur Quelle: Vol. 2013, no. 1, p. 7-89
    Angaben zur Quelle: volume:2013
    Angaben zur Quelle: year:2013
    Angaben zur Quelle: number:1
    Angaben zur Quelle: pages:7-89
    Keywords: Economics
    Abstract: Despite sustained efforts made in recent years to rein in budget deficits, a majority of OECD countries still face substantial public finance consolidation needs. While essential to avoid the disruption and large costs ultimately associated with unsustainable public finances, fiscal consolidation complicates the task of achieving other policy goals. In most cases, it weighs on demand in the short term. And, if too little attention is paid to the mix of instruments used to achieve consolidation, it can undermine long-term growth, exacerbate income inequality and slow the process of global rebalancing. It is therefore important for governments to adopt consolidation strategies that minimise these adverse side-effects. The analysis proposes consolidation strategies that take into account other policy goals as well as country-specific circumstances and preferences. To do so, increases in particular taxes and cuts in specific spending areas are assessed for their effects on short- and long-term growth, income distribution and external accounts. The results of detailed illustrative simulations indicate that a significant number of OECD countries may have to raise harmful taxes or cut valuable spending areas to deliver sufficient consolidation, underscoring the need for structural reforms to counteract these side-effects. The results are robust to an extensive range of sensitivity checks.
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  • 18
    Online Resource
    Online Resource
    Paris : OECD Publishing
    Language: English
    Pages: 40 p. , 21 x 29.7cm
    Series Statement: OECD Economics Department Working Papers no.832
    Keywords: Economics ; Netherlands
    Abstract: The Dutch occupational pension system has been successful in securing high asset accumulation to fund generous pension promises. However, for the second time in this decade the pension system has been affected by a financial crisis and many pension funds’ assets fell below levels needed to meet regulatory requirements. Insufficient funding raises solvency issues, which could eventually lead to large fiscal costs in case of bail-outs. In response to the crisis, most funds were required by the regulator to draw up recovery plans to restore their funding over five years. This has raised concerns that the adjustment required by the regulator is unnecessarily sharp, with possibly adverse macroeconomic implications. On the other hand, OECD simulations indicate that under current policies, it is unlikely that funding rates will be secured that enable the funds over the long term to fulfil their promises of a replacement rate of up to 80% of average wages. This raises the challenge of implementing parametric changes that secure pension benefits without large detrimental effects on intergenerational equity and growth. Occupational pensions are transferable, which enhances labour market mobility. But it is often very difficult for workers to assess how one pension scheme compares to another, posing practical barriers to mobility that should be eased. This Working Paper relates to the 2010 OECD Economic Survey of the Netherlands (www.oecd.org/eco/surveys/ netherlands).
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  • 19
    Online Resource
    Online Resource
    Paris : OECD Publishing
    Language: English
    Pages: 32 p. , 21 x 29.7cm
    Series Statement: OECD Economics Department Working Papers no.833
    Keywords: Economics ; Netherlands
    Abstract: The housing market figures among the main determinants of labour mobility, as households seldom make employment and housing decisions independently of each other. This interdependence is likely to strengthen as the cost of commuting increases, due to worsening road congestion or measures that would raise fuel prices, for example to counter global warming. The Dutch housing market is more rigid than in many other OECD countries, as the result of numerous government interventions. Boosting labour mobility by easing rigidities would improve labour resource utilisation, which will be especially important as the labour force contracts with ageing. The rental sector could be made more attractive and flexible by dismantling strict rent regulation and rigid allocation mechanisms in the social housing sector. Lowering tax incentives to homeowners would improve the allocation of scarce capital and reduce house prices. Easing strict land-use and zoning regulation would increase the supply of all types of housing, reducing prices and allowing the housing stock to adjust better to residents’ needs. This Working Paper relates to the 2010 OECD Economic Survey of the Netherlands (www.oecd.org/eco/surveys/ netherlands).
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  • 20
    Online Resource
    Online Resource
    Paris : OECD Publishing
    Language: English
    Pages: 15 p. , 21 x 29.7cm
    Series Statement: OECD Economics Department Working Papers no.789
    Keywords: Economics
    Abstract: The 2007-2009 period has been characterised by an oil shock followed by a financial crisis. Higher oil prices and the prospect of higher borrowing costs are likely to reduce the productive potential of OECD economies. The present study provides illustrative numerical estimates of the impact under different scenarios using a stylised model based on a production function. In a scenario where real borrowing costs for firms return to their 1991-2001 average as opposed to staying at the level at which the capital stock in place at the end of 2007 had been invested, the impact on equilibrium GDP could be in the order of 2%. If the real oil price stays at $80 per barrel, up from the $50 average at which the capital stock in place in 2007 had been invested, the impact on equilibrium GDP could be in the order of 1%.
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  • 21
    Online Resource
    Online Resource
    Paris : OECD Publishing
    Language: English
    Pages: 50 p. , 21 x 29.7cm
    Series Statement: OECD Economics Department Working Papers no.753
    Keywords: Economics
    Abstract: Central banks have responded with exceptional vigour to the crisis by using their traditional interest-rate tools to their limits and deploying a wide range of unconventional measures. This paper documents these responses in a systematic way, reviews the evidence about their impact, and discusses the need to exit from these measures. Unconventional monetary policy measures appear to have been broadly successful in terms of improving conditions in financial markets and stabilising the real economy. In line with the improvement in functioning of financial markets, however, these unconventional measures should be gradually removed. Given the considerable changes in the size and composition of central banks' balance sheets, the exit will likely involve the combination of various tools. More challenging questions surround the decisions of when and how fast the current exceptional amount of stimulus should be reduced and then eliminated. A particularly important goal will be to preserve the hard-won anchoring of inflation expectations and dissipate any hypothetical fears that central banks? greater risk exposure and purchases of bonds issued or backed by governments might have reduced their independence regarding monetary policy decisions.
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  • 22
    Language: English
    Pages: 32 p. , 21 x 29.7cm
    Series Statement: OECD Economics Department Working Papers no.660
    Parallel Title: Parallelausg. Le secteur financier peut-il rester le principal moteur de la croissance au Luxembourg?
    Keywords: Economics ; Luxembourg
    Abstract: The financial sector has emerged as the main economic engine over the past two decades. The comparative advantages of placing financial activities in Luxembourg have mostly been in terms of an adaptive legislative and regulatory framework and low taxation. As a result, Luxembourg is today one of the main international centres for investment funds. Besides the sector’s direct and indirect employment effects, the most important effect is the large tax revenue generating capacity of the sector, accounting directly for over 20% of aggregate tax revenues. On the other hand, these tax revenues are volatile as the sector is highly sensitive to developments in international financial markets. Indeed, past downturns in international financial markets have tended to lead to a sharp slowdown of growth in the economy as well as in revenues, pointing to potential large risks associated with the current turmoil in international financial markets. Besides these short-term considerations, a lower trend growth rate of the sector is likely over the medium term. The main activities of the sector are in middle and back offices dealing with financial administration which, with new IT technologies, will tend to be increasingly outsourced. At the same time, the sector is having problems in attracting highly specialised talent to enter higher value front office activities. Over the longer term, international competition will continue to exert pressures that may eventually erode Luxembourg’s position. The extent of the decline in the sector’s trend growth depends on the ability to maintain and expand the attractiveness of investing and working in Luxembourg. Achieving this will depend on being able to adjust tax, infrastructure, and housing policies to attract foreign talent while updating and increasing the transparency of financial sector regulation.
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  • 23
    Online Resource
    Online Resource
    Paris : OECD Publishing
    Language: French
    Pages: 42 p. , 21 x 29.7cm
    Series Statement: OECD Economics Department Working Papers no.741
    Parallel Title: Parallelausg. How to Reform the Belgian Tax System to Enhance Economic Growth
    Keywords: Economics ; Belgium
    Abstract: Les éléments constitutifs du système fiscal belge influe sur le processus de croissance par des canaux différents et à des degrés divers. Les impôts sur la consommation sont parmi ceux qui faussent le moins la croissance et il est tout à fait possible, en Belgique, d’exploiter davantage cette source de recettes fiscales. La taxation différenciée des instruments d’épargne fausse les décisions d’investissement, entravant le redéploiement des capitaux vers leur emploi le plus productif. Cependant, les impôts qui occasionnent le plus de distorsions sont ceux qui frappent le revenu du travail, en raison de leur impact sur les décisions des travailleurs en matière d'emploi. Conscientes de cela, les autorités belges ont cherché à alléger la fiscalité du travail. Cette dernière demeure cependant lourde en comparaison des autres pays, en raison de nombreuses exonérations, qui réduisent les bases d’imposition et nécessitent donc, pour compenser, des taux d’impôt plus élevés. Afin d’améliorer les perspectives des différents groupes sur le marché du travail, on a eu recours largement à des subventions salariales et des réductions de cotisations de sécurité sociale, créant ainsi un système complexe, souvent mal ciblé et visant parfois des objectifs contradictoires. En fin de compte, l’interaction entre l’impôt sur le revenu des personnes physiques, les cotisations de sécurité sociale et le généreux système de prestations a créé une multitude de pièges du marché du travail qui brident l’emploi. Les nouvelles réformes fiscales sont limitées par les problèmes importants et grandissants de viabilité des finances publiques, ce qui signifie que, à moins de procéder à de fortes compressions de dépenses, ces réformes devront s’autofinancer. Pour ce faire, il faut déplacer la charge fiscale vers les sources qui créent le moins de distorsions et élargir les bases d’imposition afin de pouvoir appliquer des taux plus bas. Ce document de travail se rapporte à l’Étude économique de l’OCDE de la Belgique, 2009 (www.oecd.org/eco/etudes/belgique).
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  • 24
    Online Resource
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    Paris : OECD Publishing
    Language: English
    Pages: 27 p. , 21 x 29.7cm
    Series Statement: OECD Economics Department Working Papers no.721
    Keywords: Economics
    Abstract: There is a case, but there are also counter-arguments. With sufficient forward-looking behaviour among firms and households, price-level targeting can act as a powerful built-in stabiliser through automatic shifts in inflation expectations. This stabilisation mechanism reduces the need for large shifts in policy rates, alleviating the risk of hitting the zero lower bound of nominal interest rates and falling into a liquidity trap. Furthermore, credible price-level targeting can support capital accumulation by protecting the long-run purchasing power of money and reducing the inflation risk premium embedded in actual long-term real interest rates. However, price-level targeting can imply welfare-reducing policy-induced output volatility in situations where the degree of forward-looking behaviour is very low. The self-regulating capacity of price-level targeting can be undermined if central banks are not fully credible. Besides, aggressive inflation targeting can replicate some of (but not all) the benefits of price-level targeting. On balance, the case for adopting price-level targeting is not clear-cut, all the more so since transition costs are likely to be significant.
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  • 25
    Language: French
    Pages: 33 p. , 21 x 29.7cm
    Series Statement: OECD Economics Department Working Papers no.660
    Parallel Title: Parallelausg. Can the Financial Sector continue to be the Main Growth Engine in Luxembourg?
    Keywords: Economics ; Luxembourg
    Abstract: Le secteur financier a été le principal moteur de l'économie au cours des deux dernières décennies. Les avantages comparatifs du Luxembourg en matière d'activités financières résident essentiellement dans le caractère évolutif de son cadre législatif et réglementaire ainsi que dans le faible niveau de sa fiscalité. En conséquence, le Luxembourg est aujourd'hui un des principaux centres internationaux pour les fonds d'investissement. Au-delà des effets directs et indirects de ce secteur d'activité sur l'emploi, sa retombée la plus importante est l'ampleur des recettes fiscales qu'il permet aux pouvoirs publics d'engranger, puisqu'il représente directement plus de 20 % de l'ensemble des rentrées d'impôts. Cela dit, ces recettes fiscales sont très fluctuantes, dans la mesure où ce secteur est extrêmement sensible à l'évolution des marchés de capitaux internationaux. De fait, les contractions intervenues par le passé sur ces marchés ont eu tendance à entraîner un net ralentissement de la croissance de l'économie luxembourgeoise ainsi que des revenus du secteur financier, ce qui laisse à penser que les risques associés aux turbulences financières internationales actuelles sont très substantiels. Au-delà de ces considérations à court terme, le taux de croissance tendanciel du secteur va probablement diminuer à moyen terme. Les principales activités du secteur sont les prestations d'administration financière correspondant aux services de suivi de marché et de postmarché, que les nouvelles technologies de l'information permettront de délocaliser de plus en plus. Par ailleurs, le secteur a des difficultés à attirer des spécialistes hautement qualifiés pour prendre pied dans le domaine plus rémunérateur des activités de service de clientèle. À plus long terme, la concurrence internationale continuera à exercer des pressions qui pourraient finir par remettre en cause la position du Luxembourg. L'ampleur du déclin de la croissance tendancielle du secteur financier dépendra de la capacité du Luxembourg à préserver et renforcer l'attrait qu'il exerce sur les investisseurs et les travailleurs. Pour ce faire, les autorités devront parvenir à adapter leurs politiques dans les domaines de la fiscalité, des infrastructures et du logement pour attirer des étrangers très compétents, tout en révisant la réglementation du secteur financier et en renforçant sa transparence.
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  • 26
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    Paris : OECD Publishing
    Language: English
    Pages: 38 p. , 21 x 29.7cm
    Series Statement: OECD Economics Department Working Papers no.741
    Parallel Title: Parallelausg. Comment réformer le système fiscal belge afin de renforcer l'expansion économique
    Keywords: Economics ; Belgium
    Abstract: Individual elements in Belgian tax system affect the growth process through different channels and to a varying degree. Consumption taxes are among the least distortive for growth, and there is considerable scope to increase the reliance on this tax source in Belgium. The Belgian differential taxation of saving vehicles distorts investment decisions, hampering the reallocation of capital towards its most productive use. However, the most distortive Belgian taxes are on labour through their effects on workers’ labour market decisions. Recognising the latter, the authorities have aimed at reducing taxation on labour. However, its level remains internationally high, reflecting numerous exemptions, which reduce tax bases and thus require higher tax rates than otherwise. To promote labour market prospects for individual groups on the labour market, wage subsidies and social security contribution reductions have been used extensively, leading to a complex system, often poorly targeted and at times subject to conflicting objectives. The end result is that the interaction between the personal income tax, the social security contributions, and the generous benefit systems has created a multitude of labour market traps which hold back employment. New tax reforms are constrained by the large and growing fiscal sustainability problem, implying that, unless substantial expenditure cuts are implemented, new tax reforms must be self-financed. This can be achieved by shifting the reliance of the tax system towards the least distortive sources and by broadening tax bases to allow lower tax rates. This Working Paper relates to the 2009 OECD Economic Survey of Belgium (www.oecd.org/eco/surveys/belgium).
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  • 27
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    Paris : OECD Publishing
    Language: English
    Pages: 61 p. , 21 x 29.7cm
    Series Statement: OECD Economics Department Working Papers no.724
    Keywords: Economics
    Abstract: In contrast to the once prevailing norm of secrecy and opaqueness, transparency has now become one of the main features characterising the conduct of monetary policy. Detailed analysis of eleven OECD central banks shows that communication practices have converged markedly in the direction of ever greater transparency. Empirical evidence is consistent with the hypothesis that transparency contributes to the successful conduct of monetary policy: higher transparency is a typical element of monetary frameworks that are associated with better anchored inflation expectations and more stable inflation outcomes. Despite this general trend toward increased transparency, however, central banks differ in actual communication practices. There is a particular divergence with respect to transparency in the decision-making process and communication regarding future policy inclination. Although the appropriate degree of transparency in these areas is an unsettled issue, the fact that financial dislocation is impairing conventional monetary transmission makes these two areas critical for policy implementation.
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  • 28
    Language: English
    Pages: 38 p. , 21 x 29.7cm
    Series Statement: OECD Economics Department Working Papers no.634
    Keywords: Economics
    Abstract: This paper addresses the question of whether and how long-term financial trends may have modified the transmission mechanism from monetary policy decisions to economic activity. The focus is on longterm changes, abstracting from the disruptions created by the 2007-08 financial turmoil which are temporarily affecting the transmission mechanism. The first series of findings is that a number of factors have worked to strengthen the transmission of monetary policy, including more competitive financial markets, higher household indebtedness, greater diversity in the supply of financial products, greater financial integration and more responsive asset pricing mechanisms. However, other factors appear to have simultaneously gone in the direction of weakening transmission of domestic policy, including greater external financial influences, lower exchange-rate pass-through and a broad-based shift towards fixed-rate assets and liabilities. On balance, monetary policy appears to remain a powerful tool for guiding aggregate demand, but a number of changes that have worked to support the strength of transmission have also increased risks to financial stability.
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  • 29
    Language: English
    Pages: 17 p. , 21 x 29.7cm
    Series Statement: OECD Economics Department Working Papers no.597
    Keywords: Economics
    Abstract: This paper addresses the question of whether and how monetary policy ease may lead to excesses in financial and real asset markets and ultimately result in financial dislocation. It presents evidence suggesting that periods when short-term interest rates have been persistently and significantly below what Taylor rules would prescribe are correlated with increases in asset prices, especially as regards housing, though no systematic effects are identified on equity markets. Significant asset price increases, however, can also occur when interest rates are in line with Taylor rules, associated with periods of financial deregulation and/or innovation. The paper argues that accommodating monetary policy over the period 2002-2005, in combination with rapid financial market innovation, would seem in retrospect to have been among the factors behind the run-up in asset prices and consequent financial imbalances -- the (partial) unwinding of which helped trigger the 2007 financial market turmoil. Moreover, the paper points out that in certain situations policy rates may be a rather blunt tool for dealing with both the build-up and aftermath of financial imbalances, raising the question whether “macro-prudential” regulation could be useful.
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  • 30
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    Paris : OECD Publishing
    In:  Revue économique de l'OCDE Vol. 2006, no. 1, p. 97-154
    ISSN: 1684-3444
    Language: French
    Pages: 67 p
    Parallel Title: Parallelausg. An empirical investigaton of political economy factors behind structural reforms in OECD countries
    Titel der Quelle: Revue économique de l'OCDE
    Publ. der Quelle: Paris : OCDE, 1998
    Angaben zur Quelle: Vol. 2006, no. 1, p. 97-154
    Keywords: Economics
    Abstract: À l’origine, ce document a été élaboré à l’intention du Groupe de travail n° 1 de l’OCDE, sous l’autorité du Comité de politique économique de l’OCDE. Jens Høj et Giuseppe Nicoletti travaillent pour le Département des affaires économiques de l’OCDE en qualité d’économiste en chef de la branche des études nationales et de chef de division, Division de l’analyse des politiques structurelles 1, respectivement. Vincenzo Galasso est Professeur associé d’économie à l’Université Bocconi, en Italie, et Thai-Thang Dang est consultant dans le secteur privé. Les auteurs tiennent à remercier Jean-Philippe Cotis, Jørgen Elmeskov, Michael P. Feiner, Christopher Heady, Nick Johnstone et de nombreux collègues du Département des affaires économiques de l’OCDE, ainsi que des représentants des pays membres de l’OCDE pour leurs précieux commentaires sur une version antérieure de ce document.
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  • 31
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    Paris : OECD Publishing
    In:  OECD journal: economic studies Vol. 2006, no. 1, p. 87-136
    ISSN: 1995-2856
    Language: English
    Pages: 59 p
    Parallel Title: Parallelausg. Analyse empirique des facteurs d'économie politique influant sur les réformes structurelles dans l'OCDE
    Titel der Quelle: OECD journal: economic studies
    Publ. der Quelle: Paris : Organisation for Economic Cooperation & Development, 2008
    Angaben zur Quelle: Vol. 2006, no. 1, p. 87-136
    Keywords: Economics
    Abstract: This paper was originally prepared for the OECD Working Party No. 1 under the authority of the OECD’s Economic Policy Committee. Jens Høj and Giuseppe Nicoletti work for the OECD Economics Department as a senior economist in the Country Studies Branch and as Head of the Structural Policy Analysis Division 1, respectively. Vincenzo Galasso is an Associate Professor of Economics at Università Bocconi in Italy and Thai-Thang Dang is a private sector consultant. The authors wish to thank Jean Philippe Cotis, Jørgen Elmeskov, Michael P. Feiner, Christopher Heady, Nick Johnstone and many other colleagues in the OECD Economics Department as well as representatives from OECD member countries for useful comments on a previous version of the paper.
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  • 32
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    Paris : OECD Publishing
    Language: English
    Pages: 28 p. , 21 x 29.7cm
    Series Statement: OECD Economics Department Working Papers no.548
    Keywords: Economics
    Abstract: Over the next decades, many OECD countries are anticipating large increases in public spending as a result of population ageing and other long-term structural trends. The need to put public finances on a sustainable footing is widely recognised, but progress has been uneven and slow. Some policy makers may feel that action can be deferred for a few years at little cost because of the long-term nature of the problem. This paper questions this perception by proposing a model of the political costs of consolidating public finances. The main finding is that even a short delay increases political cost of consolidation quite markedly when ultimately policy makers are facing a deadline by which sustainability must be restored. The conclusion is very robust to changes in assumptions and specification. A variant of the model shows that with an infinite horizon the incentive to consolidate is weaker, which highlights the importance of setting a deadline. This paper relates to the 2007 Economic Survey of the Euro area (www.oecd.org/eco/surveys/euroarea).
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  • 33
    Language: English
    Pages: 35 p. , 21 x 29.7cm
    Series Statement: OECD Economics Department Working Papers no.588
    Keywords: Economics ; Belgium
    Abstract: The Belgian financial landscape has been transformed over the past two decades and now consists of a relatively large, well-functioning and internationally integrated financial sector contributing directly and indirectly, through its intermediary function, to long-term economic growth. One of the financial system’s key characteristics is the concentration of activity among a small number of financial conglomerates that offer a combination of banking and insurance services. Although this mix of activities may contribute to financial stability, it has led to a widespread commercial practice of crossselling, possibly dampening competitive pressures. Competition may also be hindered by regulatory policies in the markets of mortgage loans and consumer credit; although these policies aim at protecting consumers against the risk of over-indebtedness, they risk having the unintended consequence of increasing entry costs for new providers, thus hindering competition and innovation and hurting consumer interests. Besides regulatory policy, tax policy has also been used to shape the development of the financial system. Tax credits are granted to influence investment and borrowing decisions, notably to stimulate home ownership, encourage saving and stimulate private pension accounts. International experience suggests that such tax expenditures, while influencing the allocation of saving, have no obvious impact on the overall level of saving. However they result in significant tax expenditure and necessitate higher tax rates elsewhere. Reforms recommended in this paper would help to make a well-functioning system perform even better.
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  • 34
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    Paris : OECD Publishing
    Language: English
    Pages: 40 p. , 21 x 29.7cm
    Series Statement: OECD Economics Department Working Papers no.568
    Keywords: Economics
    Abstract: The aim of this paper is to construct indicators that measure the strength of policies aimed at preserving and promoting market competition by empowering antitrust and sectoral authorities. The indicators, which cover both general and sector-specific competition policies, extend previous OECD work covering economy-wide and sector-specific regulations that restrict competition and promote governance. It focuses on information for 2003 provided by a number of OECD sources. The results show relatively little variation in the overall indicator across countries, partly reflecting the convergence of competition policies across the OECD area over the past decade. However, inspection of individual elements reveals that enforcement efforts (both in terms of devoted resources and actually implemented sanctions) and policies in network industries vary considerably across countries. Thus, the main conclusion arising from this work is that member countries have been improving the general competition policy framework, but still have to fully implement the improved framework. Moreover, there remains a considerable scope for further progress in promoting competition in network industries.
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  • 35
    Language: English
    Pages: 78 p. , 21 x 29.7cm
    Series Statement: OECD Economics Department Working Papers no.575
    Keywords: Economics
    Abstract: Based on 18 country reviews performed over the 2003-2005 period, this paper examines, the cross-country differences in policy approaches to product market competition and their consequences for product market rents. Against this background, the paper summarises OECD recommendations to further strengthen competition in various sectors and areas. These include: removing remaining barriers to trade and inward foreign direct investments; better securing deterrence of cartels through effective sanctions; facilitate market access to inherently competitive industries by easing zoning laws (the retail sector), abolishing reserved monopolies (sales of tobacco and alcohol), limiting the scope of trade associations’ self-regulation and easing residency or nationality requirements (professional services); meet competition challenges in network industries by facilitating the effective separation of monopoly components from competitive activities, reducing public ownership, clearly separating the government’s ownership and regulatory functions and creating the right incentives for investing in infrastructures.
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  • 36
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    Paris : OECD Publishing
    Language: English
    Pages: 23 p. , 21 x 29.7cm
    Series Statement: OECD Economics Department Working Papers no.587
    Keywords: Economics ; Belgium
    Abstract: The tertiary education system has been transformed from an elite-oriented system to a system providing tertiary education to a much larger share of each new generation. This re-orientation has contributed to raising education attainment in Belgium. However, in many respects the organisation of the tertiary education systems has not been changed fundamentally and economic incentives are only to a minor extent in place for securing the supply and quality of tertiary education. The system has come under strain, as revealed in the high failure rate among first-year students and the high incidence of subject change. There is thus a need for the system to adapt to be able to continue to support the improvement in educational attainment.
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  • 37
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    Paris : OECD Publishing
    Language: English
    Pages: 52 p. , 21 x 29.7cm
    Series Statement: OECD Economics Department Working Papers no.473
    Parallel Title: Parallelausg. Concurrence sur les marchés de produits et performance économique en France
    Keywords: Economics ; France
    Abstract: Over the past decade, French economic growth has been insufficient to bring down high and persistent unemployment. Available cross-country evidence suggests that enhancing competition is an important means to improve economic performance. France is catching up with best practice in competition policy reform. However, other policy considerations often hamper the emergence of effective competition. Relatively weak competitive pressures remain in a number of sectors, particularly in sheltered service industries. Restrictions on competition reduce productivity growth and hinder job creation in regulated sectors. Policy must focus on giving more weight to overall consumer welfare in the face of opposition from relatively small but vocal special interest groups. This paper discusses reforms that would increase competition by: i) strengthening institutions and better clarifying their responsibilities with respect to competition enforcement; ii) reinforcing the ability of sector regulators to improve non-discriminatory third-party access and other aspects of competition in the network industries; iii) abolishing overly prescriptive regulation in the retail sector; and iv) removing unnecessary protection in some professional services. This Working Paper relates to the 2005 OECD Economic Survey of France (www.oecd.org/eco/surveys/france).
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  • 38
    Language: English
    Pages: 78 p. , 21 x 29.7cm
    Series Statement: OECD Economics Department Working Papers no.501
    Keywords: Economics
    Abstract: In an empirical investigation, the paper identifies the main political economy drivers of structural policy changes in OECD countries' labour and product markets over the 1985-2003 and 1973-2003 periods respectively. Some of the drivers are beyond the control of governments (i.e., that are exogenous to the political process) while there are others over which governments may have some leverage. The core empirical results, based on a set of policy indicators that cover 21 countries, suggest that the former set of factors has an important influence on the implementation of structural reform, including economic crises, exposure to foreign competition, and government?s duration in office. Nonetheless, the latter set of factors, including budgetary conditions and spillovers across policy areas -- in particular from the product to the labour market -- is also important to both initiate and sustain reforms.
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  • 39
    Language: French
    Pages: 56 p. , 21 x 29.7cm
    Series Statement: OECD Economics Department Working Papers no.473
    Parallel Title: Parallelausg. Product Market Competition and Economic Performance in France
    Keywords: Economics ; France
    Abstract: La croissance économique française sur la dernière décade s'est avérée insuffisante pour résorber un taux de chômage élevé et persistant. Les études et comparaisons internationales disponibles suggèrent qu'un renforcement du degré de concurrence permettrait d'améliorer significativement la performance économique. La France n’est plus loin de la meilleure pratique pour ce qui est de la réforme de la politique de la concurrence. Pourtant, d’autres considérations de politique économique font souvent obstacle à l’émergence d’une véritable concurrence. Des pressions concurrentielles relativement faibles prévalent dans plusieurs secteurs, notamment les secteurs de services abrités. Les restrictions à la concurrence réduisent la croissance de la production et freinent la création d’emplois dans les secteurs réglementés. L’action des pouvoirs publics doit pondérer davantage le bien-être global des consommateurs face à l’opposition des groupes d’intérêt spéciaux de taille relativement restreinte mais très actifs. Le présent chapitre passe en revue les réformes qui renforceraient la concurrence en : i) consolidant les institutions et en clarifiant mieux les responsabilités de la mise en œuvre de la concurrence ; ii) donnant aux autorités sectorielles de réglementation une plus grande compétence pour l’amélioration de l’accès non discriminatoire des tiers et d’autres aspects de la concurrence dans les industries de réseau ; iii) abolissant les réglementations trop contraignantes dans le secteur de la distribution ; et iv) supprimant la protection inutile dans certains services professionnels. Ce Document de travail se rapporte à l'Étude économique de l'OCDE de la France 2005 (www.oecd.org/eco/etudes/france).
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  • 40
    Language: English
    Pages: 18 p. , 21 x 29.7cm
    Series Statement: OECD Economics Department Working Papers no.522
    Keywords: Economics ; Euro Area
    Abstract: The 2005 reform of the EU Stability and Growth Pact has provided leeway for governments to let their fiscal deficit temporarily breach the 3% rule to finance the immediate budgetary cost of structural reform, such as compensation schemes to offset redistributive effects. Against this backdrop, it is useful to dispose of empirical estimates of the effect of structural reform on fiscal outcomes, not only the short term cost but also the long-run fiscal gain stemming from changes in spending parameters and better economic performance. Based on econometric estimates for a pool of 21 OECD countries, this study finds a significant net fiscal gain of structural reform.
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  • 41
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    Paris : OECD Publishing
    Language: English
    Pages: 20 p. , 21 x 29.7cm
    Series Statement: OECD Economics Department Working Papers no.511
    Keywords: Economics ; Ireland
    Abstract: Women have contributed a great deal to Ireland's economic growth, including by joining the labour force in large numbers. The rise in female participation since 1990 has been amongst the strongest in the OECD, but from a low base. Female participation rates remain below the OECD average for all except the under-thirties. Cultural attitudes and low educational attainment among older women are factors, but policy settings play a role as well. Support to families is not targeted at working parents, implying that the return to work is low for many mothers. Working parents of school-age children also face difficulties in reconciling employment and work because out-of-school care is insufficiently developed. The tax system should be further improved to support second earners, most of whom are women, so as to strengthen their incentive to enter the labour market and reduce the bias in favour of the home production of services such as childcare. This paper reviews these issues and offers recommendations to continue to create a more favourable environment for women who want to enter the labour market.
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  • 42
    Language: English
    Pages: 40 p. , 21 x 29.7cm
    Series Statement: OECD Economics Department Working Papers no.520
    Keywords: Economics ; Euro Area
    Abstract: With population ageing, fiscal consolidation has become of paramount importance for euro area countries. Consolidation can be pursued in various ways, with different effects on potential growth, which itself will be dragged down by ageing. A dynamic general equilibrium model with overlapping generations and a public finance block (including a pay-as-you-go pension regime, a health care system, non ageingrelated public spending and a stock of debt to be repaid) is used to compare the macroeconomic impact of four scenarios: a) increasing taxes to finance unchanged pensions and repay public debt, b) lowering future pension replacement rates and repaying public debt through a lower ratio of non ageing-related outlays to GDP, c) raising the retirement age by 1.25 years per decade and increasing taxes only to pay off debt, and d) increasing the retirement age by 1.25 years per decade and paying off debt through a lower ratio of non ageing-related expenditure to GDP. This last scenario is the one where growth is strongest: with gradual increases in the retirement age and spending restraint, average GDP growth in the 2010s would be 0.34 percentage point stronger than in a scenario where fiscal consolidation is achieved exclusively through tax hikes. The appropriate conclusion from the model is not that public spending is bad per se, but that cuts to lower-priority spending items can deliver surprisingly large income gains compared with the alternative of raising taxes.
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  • 43
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    Paris : OECD Publishing
    Language: English
    Pages: 20 p. , 21 x 29.7cm
    Series Statement: OECD Economics Department Working Papers no.450
    Keywords: Economics ; Euro Area
    Abstract: The inflation measure used by the European Central Bank excludes housing costs that are borne by home owners even though they make up more than a tenth of household final consumption expenditure in the euro area. Has the exclusion of owner-occupied housing costs driven a wedge between the official harmonised index of consumer prices (HICP) and the cost of living? To answer this question, a measure of the user cost of housing capital has been constructed for every euro area country (except Luxembourg). User costs are measured taking into account property taxes but net of tax breaks that home owners enjoy on mortgage repayments. The user cost measure is combined with the HICP to derive a “broad” inflation estimate. For the sake of comparison, an alternative estimate has been put together using imputed rents. The main conclusion is that owner-occupied housing costs have an impact. Another important conclusion is that the effect of owner-occupied housing costs on inflation varies noticeably with the method used to incorporate them into the price index. The paper finally discusses the choice of the method from the point of view of economic policy makers. "This Working Paper relates to the 2005 OECD Economic Survey of Euro Area (www.oecd.org/eco/surveys/Euroarea)"
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  • 44
    Language: English
    Pages: 32 p. , 21 x 29.7cm
    Series Statement: OECD Economics Department Working Papers no.435
    Keywords: Economics ; Euro Area
    Abstract: In recent years, inflation in the euro area has failed to decelerate decisively while cyclical slack built up in the economy. Is this phenomenon more than a peculiarity in recent data? Is it related to structural policy settings? Econometric analysis conducted on two decades of quarterly data covering 17 countries yields a yes on both counts. First, inflation is shown to respond significantly more weakly to cyclical slack in the euro area than in countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States or Canada. Secondly, this lack of responsiveness is found to be related in a statistically significant way to more rigid structural policy settings. The results pass a wide range of robustness checks. This Working Paper relates to the 2005 OECD Economic Survey of the euro area (www.oecd.org/eco/surveys/euroarea).
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  • 45
    Language: English
    Pages: 29 p. , 21 x 29.7cm
    Series Statement: OECD Economics Department Working Papers no.441
    Keywords: Economics
    Abstract: This paper estimates and discusses some of the potential labour market implications arising from the rapid ageing of government employees in a number of OECD countries. Under alternative scenarios for future public employment policies, available labour resources for the private sector are estimated taking into account the declining age cohorts entering the labour market. These scenarios suggest that, in the absence of considerable increases in labour utilisation, maintaining government sector hiring at their historical share of new labour market entrants will entail sharp declines in the production of government services. On the other hand, if present levels of government services are to be preserved, governments are likely to hire an increasing share of labour market entrants, creating a strong crowding-out effect for the private sector. Alternatively, productivity in the government sector would have to increase substantially.
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  • 46
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    Paris : OECD Publishing
    Language: English
    Pages: 51 p. , 21 x 29.7cm
    Series Statement: OECD Economics Department Working Papers no.387
    Keywords: Economics ; Japan
    Abstract: Empirical work shows that competition is important for promoting economic growth. However, in Japan the promotion of competition has long been compromised by ministerial guidance and exemptions from the competition law. Thus, the level and growth of productivity have been low in many domestically oriented sectors and consumer welfare has suffered under high prices and the slow introduction of new goods and services. This misallocation of resources contributes to explaining why the Japanese economy had difficulty in coming out of the quasi-stagnation of the past decade. Recognising that gains from more pro-competition policies are substantial, the Japanese government has now made the promotion of competitive markets a cornerstone of its economic policy. Reforms to promote product market competition in Japan should inter alia focus on strengthening the legal framework by increasing fines to a deterrent level and introducing cartel destabilising measures, such as a leniency ...
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  • 47
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    Paris : OECD Publishing
    Language: English
    Pages: 46 p. , 21 x 29.7cm
    Series Statement: OECD Economics Department Working Papers no.413
    Keywords: Wettbewerbspolitik ; Wettbewerbsrecht ; Deregulierung ; Finnland ; Economics ; Finland
    Abstract: Following the deep recession in the early 1990s growth has been strong, but the scope for economic catch-up remains considerable and cross-country empirical evidence suggests that enhancing competition is an important means of achieving this. Structural reforms to strengthen competition in the early 1990s did boost growth and were also ahead of similar developments in the EU. However, indicators suggest that relatively weak competition remains in a number of sectors. Moreover, potential competition is reduced by a sparse population and relative long distances to large markets, which together with the prevalence of local monopolies and public ownership in many network industries, point to the need for greater vigilance to sustain and promote competition. Further reforms to promote product market competition should focus on fundamental changes in the regulatory approach as well as more incremental measures to intensify competition. The competition authority should concentrate ...
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  • 48
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    Paris : OECD Publishing
    Language: English
    Pages: 43 p. , 21 x 29.7cm
    Series Statement: OECD Economics Department Working Papers no.389
    Keywords: Economics ; Norway
    Abstract: Norwegian growth has been strong over the past decade. This development has been supported by the off-shore sector, but depleting oil reserves implies that growth will have to rely increasingly on the mainland economy. Empirical work shows that competition is important for promoting economic growth. Recognising the benefits of competition, the government wants to introduce regulatory reforms to stimulate economic growth. However, the promotion of competition has often conflicted with other policy objectives, such as maintaining a regionally dispersed population and a high degree of public ownership. This has lead to weak competition in a number of sectors, resulting in high prices, weak innovative activity and inefficient resource allocation. Reforms to promote product market competition in Norway should therefore inter alia focus on separating the public sector’s roles and functions as owner and regulator. This requires an increase in the independence of sector ...
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  • 49
    Online Resource
    Online Resource
    Paris : OECD Publishing
    Language: English
    Pages: 39 p. , 21 x 29.7cm
    Series Statement: OECD Economics Department Working Papers no.322
    Keywords: Economics ; Austria
    Abstract: This document analyses the economic impacts of selected environmental policies in Austria with an emphasis on the use of economic instruments and incentives versus command-and-control measures. An important theme in a federation like the Austrian is the institutional complexity involved in many aspects of environmental policy, requiring a high degree of co-ordination between various layers of government, which could be furthered by a coherent ex ante and ex post evaluation system. Such a system could also be useful in the setting of abatement objectives and minimizing their associated cost. Greater use of properly designed instruments, examples being a unified taxation of fuels and the introduction of a CO2 tax, would improve the cost-effectiveness of policies to reach Austria’s ambitious CO2 emission reduction target. This would particularly be the case if economic instruments replace the widespread use of subsidies and command-and-control type measures. Such measures are found to ...
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  • 50
    Language: English
    Pages: 35 p. , 21 x 29.7cm
    Series Statement: OECD Economics Department Working Papers no.300
    Keywords: Economics ; Belgium
    Abstract: This document analyses aspects of environmental policy in Belgium. Some specific examples are drawn from policies on water in the different regions that make up the Belgian Federation (to whom much environmental policy is delegated), and transport and congestion policy in the Brussels region is discussed. The system of “ecotaxes” and some inconsistencies in the structure of taxation, from the environmental point of view - for example between petrol and diesel fuel - are also covered. An important theme is the institutional complexity involved in many aspects of environmental policy. Co-ordination is necessary between regional governments and the federal government, as well as with local governments, implementing policies which are often based on EU directives ...
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  • 51
    Online Resource
    Online Resource
    Paris : OECD Publishing
    Language: English
    Pages: 37 p. , 21 x 29.7cm
    Series Statement: OECD Economics Department Working Papers no.277
    Keywords: Economics ; Denmark
    Abstract: This paper analyses aspects of environmental policy in Denmark, including, among others, policy on surface water quality, clean air and support for renewable energy, waste disposal and transport policy. Environmental policies are an important priority in Denmark, with implementation often highly decentralised, but in some cases environmental objectives have been pursued at what seems a high price, perhaps through a wish to support the development of a domestic industry or to protect existing industry from loss of competitiveness. The paper criticises some of the arguments used in favour of this high cost approach in a number of contexts, including wind power subsidies, the carbon tax and the treatment of nutrient discharges from agriculture. The paper also discusses a number of innovative and efficient policies introduced or planned, for example the new approach to promoting renewable energy (including wind power) through tradable “green certificates” and a CO2 trading scheme in ...
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