The global crisis of 2008-09 went in hand with sharp fluctuations in capital flows. To some extent, these fluctuations may have been attributable to uncertainty-averse investors indiscriminately selling assets about which they had poor information, including those in geographically distant...

The deep recession has led to a marked deterioration in labour market conditions in the OECD area. This paper, which draws heavily on other ongoing analytical work at the OECD, takes stock of recent labour market developments, highlights some of the key uncertainties in the early stages of the...

<OL><LI>OECD countries as a whole have experienced modest annual output growth of some 2 1/2 per cent over the past four years. But unemployment remains unacceptably high -- having fallen only slightly from its peak of 38 million in 1993 to the current 35 million or 7 per cent of the workforce -- and...</li></ol>

This paper considers the case for adjusting measures of the cyclically-adjusted fiscal balance for exceptional movements in the terms of trade for those countries where production of commodities is a substantial share of output. For such countries exceptional movements in commodity prices, such...

This paper examines the role of structural indicators in the process of multilateral surveillance of structural policies. An analytical framework is suggested that is based on welfare economics and which focuses on efficiency considerations. Potential indicators are examined for six areas --...

<H2 align="left">A. Introduction</H2><P><OL><LI>This submission provides a brief factual survey of statutory minimum wage systems in OECD countries (Section B) as well as a summary of recommendations concerning minimum wages which have been presented in the OECD <I>Jobs Study</I> and recent OECD Economic Surveys (Section C). This is...</i></li></ol></p></h2>

This paper provides an assessment of the impact of a package of structural reforms in all OECD countries on their long-run trade and output gains. The package includes reforms that reduce competition-restraining regulations, cut tariff barriers and ease restrictions on foreign direct investment...

House prices have been moving up strongly in real terms since the mid-1990s in the majority of OECD countries, with the ongoing upswing the longest of its kind in the OECD area since the 1970s. If interest rates were to rise significantly, real house prices may be at risk of nearing a peak. The...

With the gradual dismantling of tariffs and the growing integration of markets across countries, non-tariff and non-border barriers to international trade, investment and competition have become more visible, a greater source of trade tensions and costly with regard to the foregone global...

This paper proposes a comprehensive framework for projecting public heath and long-term care expenditures. Notably, it considers the impact of demographic and non-demographic effects for both health and long-term care. Compared with other studies, the paper extends the demographic drivers by...