Publications & Documents

This report presents an in-depth cross-country analysis of how long-term care workers fare along the different dimensions of job quality. In the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, the applause for care workers was a clear expression of the strong recognition of their hard work and exposure to risks in their job. However, as the applause faded after the peak of the crisis, questions have re-emerged about how to improve the working conditions of long-term care workers in a sustainable way. Over the coming decades, the demand for these workers will increase substantially. Several countries are already facing shortages as the large baby-boom generation joins the older population. To go Beyond Applause, a comprehensive policy strategy is needed to tackle poor working conditions and insufficient social recognition of long-term care work, attract workers in the sector and avoid labour shortages reaching unacceptable levels. Such a strategy should cover several dimensions, with different priorities across countries depending on their specific context, including: direct interventions to raise wages and increase staff requirements; increasing public financing and fostering the leading role by governments; supporting collective bargaining and social dialogue; strengthening training; increasing use of new technologies; and, strengthening health prevention policies.

The FinTech sector is a nascent market in the Czech Republic, with only around one hundred regulated or unregulated FinTech firms. This report analyses the Czech FinTech ecosystem and identifies possible hurdles to innovative development. The report also provides recommendations for designing a regulatory sandbox tailored to the country’s specificities and which could help alleviate some of the impediments to FinTech development. A sandbox could enhance the Czech authorities’ understanding of the impact of innovative mechanisms on financial activities, and enable supervisors to better monitor and ensure compliance of FinTech activities. It could also enhance communication between firms and authorities through targeted dialogue and customised guidance.

The Latvian government established the Housing Affordability Fund in mid-2022, a long-term self-sustaining financing model to channel investment into affordable housing. The fund is now being scaled up to ensure lasting impact on the Latvian housing market. This report identifies options for institutional arrangements, funding and financing opportunities, and operational tools to achieve this aim. It draws on the rich and diverse experiences of four peer countries in establishing and operating revolving fund schemes for affordable housing (Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands and Slovenia), and also reflects findings from engagement with a range of stakeholders in the Latvian housing sector.

These guidelines seek to strengthen the capacities of law enforcement practitioners to combat corruption related to the COVID-19 pandemic and other emergency situations. In particular, they aim to: (i) provide law enforcement practitioners with practical advice on the challenges law enforcement faces in an emergency crisis; (ii) illustrate good detection, investigation and prosecution practices during emergency situations and identify key challenges that may arise in future crises, including through international cooperation mechanisms; (iii) inform law enforcement practitioners about the benefits of emerging technologies and innovative institutional developments identified during COVID-19 that can assist with combating corruption.

The OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises on Responsible Business Conduct are recommendations addressed by governments to multinational enterprises. They aim to encourage positive contributions enterprises can make to economic, environmental and social progress, and to minimise adverse impacts on matters covered by the Guidelines that may be associated with an enterprise’s operations, products and services. The Guidelines cover all key areas of business responsibility, including human rights, labour rights, environment, bribery, consumer interests, disclosure, science and technology, competition, and taxation. The 2023 edition of the Guidelines provides updated recommendations for responsible business conduct across key areas, such as climate change, biodiversity, technology, business integrity and supply chain due diligence, as well as updated implementation procedures for the National Contact Points for Responsible Business Conduct.

Expanding on the findings of Brick by Brick: Better Housing Policies, this second volume delves into key trends shaping housing policies in the post-COVID-19 era. The first chapter provides an overview and discusses the need to monitor the pandemic's impacts on housing affordability, address the energy crisis through low-carbon housing initiatives, maintain financial resilience amid fluctuating housing cycles, and facilitate the reshaping of housing markets in response to remote work and environmental concerns. The second chapter focuses on the decarbonisation of the housing sector. It recommends a mix of carbon pricing, energy-efficiency certification and regulation, and subsidies to meet net-zero targets while accounting for housing market specificities. The chapter also calls for deploying complementary policies to limit adverse impacts on low-income households. The third chapter examines housing finance, focusing on the tension between supporting mortgage borrowing and promoting financial resilience. It also discusses the rise of non-bank real estate finance and the potential for mortgage finance to support housing decarbonisation. The fourth chapter explores how the new work-life balance, enabled by the rise of remote work, is reshaping housing demand and proposes a set of tailored urban policies to address this shift. Overall, the report provides a comprehensive blueprint for housing policies in the post-pandemic world.

This edition of the OECD Sovereign Borrowing Outlook analyses the impact of increased macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainty on sovereign borrowing needs and borrowing conditions. It provides outstanding debt amounts from 2007 to 2022, along with 2023 projections for OECD member countries. It also reviews sovereign debt issuance trends in emerging markets and developing economies. This edition continues to explore the perspective of public debt managers on sustainable bonds, with a focus on reporting requirements and performance of these bonds in markets. It also provides recommendations for sovereign debt management offices on how best to develop and implement buyback programmes.