Reports

The scope of this report covers 88 public and private pension funds from 39 countries. This survey is based on a qualitative questionnaire sent directly to large pension funds and public pension reserve funds. It covers the infrastructure investment made by large pension funds and public pension reserve funds, but also their approach to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors. It helps provide detailed investment information and insights which complement the aggregated data on portfolio investments gathered by the OECD at a national level through the Global Pension Statistics and Global Insurance Statistics projects.

Free trade zones (FTZs) are vulnerable to illicit trade; despite many governments and zone operators taking steps to mitigate these vulnerabilities, they remain especially acute in trading operations of specific goods. One of these is gold. High-risk gold originating in Latin America and the Caribbean is often laundered within the region before advancing to destination markets. This report examines the risks and vulnerabilities linked to financial crimes in gold trade through FTZs, focusing in particular on Colombia, Panama and the Dominican Republic.

Many of Asia’s retirement-income systems are ill prepared for the rapid population ageing that will occur over the next two decades. Asia’s pension systems urgently need to be reformed to ensure that they are both financially sustainable and provide adequate retirement incomes. This report examines the retirement-income systems of 11 non-OECD countries in the region, comparing the results with a selection of OECD countries. The report provides new data for comparing pension systems of different countries. It combines the OECD’s expertise in modelling pension entitlements with a network of national pension experts who provided detailed information at the country level, verified key results and provided feedback and input to improve the analysis.

Foreign direct investment (FDI) can play a major role in supporting regional development, but it can also exacerbate existing regional disparities. This paper explores the geography of FDI disparities in OECD member countries, across countries and over time, as well as the role of investment promotion and facilitation. It reviews the governance settings, co-ordination mechanisms and strategic approaches used in national investment promotion agencies (IPAs) and presents classifications of countries based on the regional disparities of FDI and selected IPA characteristics.

This paper evaluates foreign bribery and corruption risks for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and offers an awareness-raising toolkit on the importance of adopting anti-corruption measures. Based on data collected through research, interviews with SMEs, business organisations and legal professionals in countries Party to the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention and others, the toolkit presents initiatives that will enable governments, business organisations and large companies to better support SMEs in preventing and fighting foreign bribery and corruption.

This paper assesses the impact of crises, in particular the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing economic crisis, on anti-corruption compliance objectives, resources and operations. It evaluates whether the crisis generated challenges or opportunities for businesses in the area of anti-corruption compliance, and whether it led to long-term, structural changes. The paper offers recommendations for companies to improve their responses to corruption risks during times of crisis, and for governments to better support companies in this context.

This paper analyses the mechanisms involved in the recent failings in crypto-asset markets, focusing on events in 2022 through September. The paper assesses the role of centralised finance (CeFi) and decentralised finance (DeFi), and the disproportionate impact the crypto market turmoil has had on retail market participants. It examines learnings of the recent crypto-asset market downturn, also know as the 'crypto winter', including high interconnectedness within the crypto-asset ecosystem; elaborate mechanisms of financial engineering that heavily use leverage and are built on the composability offered by DeFi (i.e., components of DeFi are pieced together to create new products); and increased market concentration. The paper also highlights the urgency for policy action and provides policy recommendations.

The Dominican Republic has made strides on many socioeconomic fronts over the years. The country has been one of the leading economies in Latin America and the Caribbean in terms of GDP growth, reaching upper middle-income status in 2011. However, progress on the different dimensions of well-being has been insufficient. In particular, socioeconomic and territorial disparities are still important, and public institutions remain insufficiently solid. For the Dominican Republic to embark on a more prosperous development path, three critical dimensions must be tackled. First, providing quality jobs for all, with particular emphasis on boosting formalisation and productive transformation. Second, mobilising more public and private finance for development, with more progressive and effective taxation systems, more efficient public expenditure and deeper capital markets. Third, accelerating digital transformation to boost productivity, enhance inclusion and support job creation.

Infrastructure is vital for supporting economic growth, enhancing prosperity and well-being. G7 nations and other partnerships have committed to quality and sustainable infrastructure investments based on high standards and shared values to mobilise public and private investment. Unfortunately, infrastructure remains highly exposed to corruption and other irregular practices, and lacks sufficient accountability. New and innovative approaches to tackle corruption are needed to address these challenges. This policy paper focuses on collective action and multi-stakeholder non-judicial grievance mechanisms to support early detection, prevention and reporting of corruption. It highlights three mechanisms, namely, the National Contact Point for Responsible Business Conduct, the High Level Reporting Mechanism, and the Integrity Pact, which are well-suited to addressing corruption risks across the infrastructure lifecycle. As countries increase infrastructure investment and look to attract private financing, there is an opportunity to harness multi-stakeholder solutions that address corruption, de-risk projects and ensure finance meets its intended purpose.