Public utility industries, once regarded as monolithic monopolies, in fact are made up of many separate activities, many of which can sustain effective competition. Experience shows that introducing competition into these industries leads to enhanced efficiency and greater innovation as well as...

Businesses' Views on Red Tape provides the first opportunity to systematically compare data across 11 OECD countries. The data show how small and medium-sized enterprises perceive national administrative and regulatory costs. Regulations and government formalities, so-called "red tape", are...

It is now widely recognised that a greater use of market based instruments is a key element of effective and economically efficient environmental policies, and an important framework condition for sustainable development. Hence, over the last decade, economic instruments have been playing a...

Governments are in a crisis of identity, some would say legitimacy, with election turnouts low in many OECD countries and a widespread feeling of disenchantment among citizens with government and the democratic process. Can governments do something to change this? Certainly, doing nothing is not...

This landmark study of the material well-being of older people in nine OECD countries -- Canada, Finland, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States -- uses a wealth of new data to shed light on the challenges that face policy-makers as they...

Corporate entities underpin most commercial and entrepreneurial activities in market-based economies and have contributed immensely to growing prosperity worldwide over recent decades. Increasingly, however, governments and regulatory bodies have realised that corporate entities ranging from...

In OECD countries, metropolitan areas often enjoy above-average rates of growth; they compete for foreign direct investment, have a leading position in the knowledge-based economy, and attract a disproportionately large share of immigrants. Yet they also are burdened with many problems including...

Approximately 125 000 people die every year on the roads of OECD countries. In other words, one road crash victim dies every four minutes. The real tragedy is that, to a large extent, these crashes and the resultant deaths and injuries could be prevented. The argument for road safety investment...

This publication presents five governmental experiments aimed at promoting sustainable development in Canada, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. These countries were selected on the basis of their diversity in terms of size and natural conditions. They also display a variety...

There is widespread agreement that in order to bring about sustainable travel in urban areas, flexible, integrated policy packages are needed that send the right signals to urban land use and transport markets. The project on Implementing Sustainable Urban Travel Policies conducted by the ECMT...