Publications & Documents

Semiconductors are a critical input into a wide range of downstream industries, including the wider information communications technology industry, electronics and motor vehicles. Semiconductor shortages can have large adverse effects on output in these industries, with ripple effects on the broader economy, as highlighted by recent supply chain disruptions. This paper maps cross-country and cross-sectoral dependencies in the semiconductor value chain based on new OECD Inter-Country Input-Output data that allow to analyse the semiconductor industry separately from the wider computer and electronics value chain. It further discusses policy options to reduce the economic consequences of shocks to the semiconductor value chain while preserving the benefits of global sourcing.

This working paper explores the use of behavioural science for promoting environmentally sustainable tourism. It looks at how to use behavioural science to encourage sustainable behaviour, targeting both the consumers and suppliers of tourism activities and services. It concludes with recommendations for planning and implementing a tourism recovery strategy that prioritises both economic and environmental sustainability.

Strengthening the performance and economic contribution of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) and start-ups is central to Abu Dhabi’s goal of creating a more diversified and competitive economy. This report provides an assessment of policies, programmes and regulations relating to MSME and start-up development in Abu Dhabi. The assessment is structured around six thematic areas: i) access to finance, ii) the availability of skills and capabilities, iii) access to markets, iv) the business environment, v) innovation and digitalisation, and vi) future opportunities for MSME and start-up development. For each thematic area, an analysis of existing issues, challenges and policy approaches is provided, in addition to policy recommendations and relevant examples of international policy practices. The report was prepared by the OECD Secretariat and external experts based on information gathered by the OECD in Abu Dhabi in the form of written documentation, questionnaire responses, stakeholder interviews and roundtable meetings as well as desk research on policy practices in other countries.

This report analyses subsidies provided to steel producers by examining firm-level data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and conducting desk research. It reveals that subsidy trends persist even in the face of existing overcapacity. Between 2008 and 2020, steel companies in partner economies obtained an average of 10.7 times more subsidies per crude steel production capacity unit than their counterparts in OECD countries. These subsidies took the form of cash grants, cash awards, and cost reimbursements. The report also finds that the national context significantly influences a jurisdiction's inclination to support its steel sector and the transparency of such subsidies. Some jurisdictions have prioritised the growth of their domestic steel industry by establishing firm goals for crude steel production, export, or concentration. Meanwhile, others have engaged in international collaboration to address global challenges related to the decarbonisation of the steel industry.

Despite the increasing adoption of income-based tax incentives for R&D and innovation in the OECD area and beyond, evidence on the availability, design, generosity and actual cost of these incentives remains scarce. This report helps fill this gap by documenting government efforts to provide preferential tax treatment of economic outputs of innovation activities. Drawing on the responses of national contact points to the OECD KNOWINTAX surveys carried out in 2020 and 2021, it presents new evidence on the cost (foregone tax revenues) and uptake of income-based-tax incentives by businesses in 2019, and tracks their distribution by firm size and industry and their evolution over the 2000-2019 period.

This paper provides evidence on the 'when, how and where' of the effects of service trade policy reforms, discussing short-term impacts on services trade as well as on the performance of downstream manufacturing industries. A combination of novel methodological approaches is used to be able to track impacts over time and along the supply chain. The OECD Services Trade Restrictiveness Index serves as the measure for trade policy reform. Results show that reducing policy barriers to services trade can increase services imports already in the short run, and that benefits continue to grow over time. The impact of services trade reforms may still vary significantly depending on the nature of the policy change, the economic context, and the targeted mode of services supply. Finally, services trade reforms can have sizeable spillover effects on the productivity of manufacturing sectors that use services as intermediate inputs.