Latest Documents

This report presents the governance framework in Kazakhstan for managing disaster risks. A wide range of disaster risks are present throughout the national territory, primarily floods, landslides, avalanches, but also extreme cold and heatwaves. The report reviews how the central government sets up a national strategy to manage these disaster risks, and how a national risk governance framework is formulated and executed. It examines the role of the private sector and other non-governmental actors in contributing to resilience at a national and subnational level.

Colombia has launched an ambitious reform to improve its risk governance and boost resilience to disasters. This OECD Disaster Risk Governance Scan reviews Colombia’s progress in implementing the reform against the 2014 OECD Recommendation on the Governance of Critical Risks. The report identifies success factors and good practices in implementing the disaster risk reform agenda, focusing on central government policies and their implementation, and provides a set of recommendations to strengthen Colombia’s efforts in the future.

Natural disasters continue to cause widespread damage and losses, with fast growing economies particularly exposed. Governments often shoulder a significant share of the costs of disaster recovery and reconstruction. This is true in OECD countries and even more so in developing economies, where private insurance markets are not as well developed. The fiscal impact of disasters on a government’s budget can be sizeable. Expenditures for the government arise from both explicit and implicit commitments to compensate for disaster losses. This report presents the results of a study that compares country practices in the management of the financial implications of disasters on government finances for a set of OECD member and partner countries particularly exposed to natural hazards.

The Swedish economy is innovative and rich in intellectual property (IP), with nearly every industry either producing or using IP. Swedish innovative industries are also export-dependent and very deeply integrated in the global economy, through active participation in global value chains. At the same time, the threats of counterfeiting and piracy are growing – and Sweden is vulnerable. This report measures the direct economic effects of counterfeiting on Swedish industry, government and consumers. It examines both the impact of the imports of fake products to Sweden and – more importantly – the impact of the global trade in fake products that infringe on the IP rights of Swedish innovative companies.

Critical infrastructures are the backbone of modern, interconnected economies. The disruption of key systems and essential services - such as telecommunications, energy or water supply, transportation or finance - can cause substantial economic damage. This report looks at how to boost critical infrastructure resilience in a dynamic risk landscape, and discusses policy options and governance models to promote up-front resilience investments. Based on an international survey, the report analyses the progressive shift of critical infrastructure policies from asset protection to system resilience. The findings are reflected in a proposed Policy Toolkit for the Governance of Critical Infrastructure Resilience, which can guide governments in taking a more coherent, preventive approach to protecting and sustaining essential services.

This study examines the value, scope and trends of trade in counterfeit and pirated goods. First, it presents the overall scale of this trade and discusses which parts of the economy are particularly at risk. Next, it looks at the main economies of origin of fakes in global trade. Finally, it analyses recent trends in terms of changing modes of shipment and the evolution of trade flows.

This study examines the potential for the misuse of small parcels for trade in counterfeit and pirated goods. It presents the legal and economic contexts of the operation of express and postal services. It also looks at the available data on volumes of small consignments, via postal and courier streams, in the context of seizures of counterfeit and pirated goods. Furthermore it analyses the links between the observed dynamics in markets for small parcels and the available information on misuse of this service by traffickers in counterfeit and pirated goods.

The successful governance of critical risks is a strategic investment in preserving economic competitiveness and sustainable growth and in ensuring safer and better lives for the future. Citizens and businesses expect governments to be prepared for a wide range of possible crises and global shocks. However, the increasing frequency of events previously believed impossible, and their significant economic impact, has often revealed significant governance gaps. This OECD report provides an overview of countries' progess in implementing the Recommendation of the Council on the Governance of Critical Risks, which were designed to better govern and manage complex national risks. Based on an OECD wide survey, the report evaluates the progress made by countries, seeking to evaluate the key challenges in institutional, policy, administrative and regulatory mechanisms, used to manage critical risks from a whole of government perspective. The ultimate goal is to guide governments in minimising the effects of critical risks on economies and on citizens' daily lives to preserve national security.

In countries affected by the illegal wildlife trade, corruption is a key enabler and facilitator. Failure to address this corruption, and the institutional and governance gaps that allow it to take place, make tackling the illegal wildlife trade a significant challenge. This report provides a structured analysis of how corruption facilitates wildlife crime based on research in four source and transit countries in East and Southern Africa. It offers a series of specific recommendations targeted at national governments, donors, and intergovernmental organisations to address the issues of corruption and the illegal wildlife trade.