Publications & Documents

De multiples crises provoquent des turbulences, de l'instabilité et de l'insécurité dans les sociétés contemporaines, avec des répercussions sur les économies, l'environnement, la politique et les affaires mondiales. Pour apporter une réponse efficace, les gouvernements devront être plus ambitieux et agir avec plus d'urgence dans leurs politiques en matière de science, de technologie et d'innovation (STI) afin de relever les défis mondiaux. Des investissements soutenus et une plus grande directivité des activités de recherche et d'innovation sont nécessaires, et ils devraient coïncider avec une réévaluation des systèmes et des politiques STI pour s'assurer qu'ils sont à même de contribuer aux changements visés. Ce document d'orientation fournit un cadre pour aider les gouvernements à procéder à ces évaluations. Il identifie six orientations politiques STI pour les changements transformateurs qui devraient guider ces évaluations. Il applique ces orientations à de multiples domaines de la politique STI, notamment le financement de la R&D, le personnel de recherche et d'innovation et la coopération internationale en matière de R&D, et propose aux responsables publics et aux autres acteurs concernés un cadre pour la formulation et la mise en oeuvre de réformes STI qui accéléreront les changements transformateurs.

Les technologies émergentes peuvent être source d’avantages sans précédent dans les domaines de la santé, de l’énergie, du climat, des systèmes alimentaires et de la biodiversité. Cela dit, ces technologies et leur convergence présentent parfois des risques pour la vie privée, la sécurité, l’équité et les droits humains. Cette dualité impose aux pouvoirs publics de mieux anticiper les bouleversements et de créer les conditions requises pour que le développement technologique favorise la prospérité économique, la résilience, la sécurité et la recherche de solutions aux problèmes sociétaux. Fondé sur les travaux antérieurs et les instruments juridiques de l’OCDE, le présent cadre fournit aux pouvoirs publics, aux autres acteurs de l’innovation et à la société dans son ensemble les moyens d’anticiper les problèmes de gouvernance, de les traiter en amont et de renforcer les capacités dans ce domaine à plus long terme afin d’orienter plus efficacement l’innovation. Le principe de « gouvernance anticipative des technologies » sur lequel il repose est composé de cinq éléments interdépendants et outils de gouvernance connexes : (1) des valeurs directrices, (2) le renseignement stratégique, (3) la mobilisation des parties prenantes, (4) une réglementation agile et (5) la coopération internationale. La manière dont chacun de ces éléments s’applique dépend du contexte dans lequel s’inscrivent les technologies émergentes.

This report assesses and monitors progress in the design and implementation of SME policies in the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region. It was developed as part of the OECD LAC Regional Programme, in co-operation with CAF-Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean and the Latin American and Caribbean Economic System (SELA). The 2024 report tracks progress made since 2019 across eight policy dimensions and presents the latest key findings on SME development and related policies. It identifies emerging challenges impacting SMEs in the region and provides recommendations for governments to build a successful SME sector. The 2024 edition, the second in the series, benefits from an updated methodology that analyses SME digital transformation support policies, introduces a green economy pilot dimension, and incorporates a cross-cutting gender approach. This edition extends the coverage by introducing two new countries (Brazil and Paraguay) to the already seven participating countries (Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru and Uruguay), guaranteeing the inclusion of all members of the Pacific Alliance and Mercosur.

Earth's orbits are polluted by more than 100 million debris objects that pose a collision threat to satellites and other spacecraft. The risk of perturbing highly valuable space-based services critical to life on Earth, such as weather monitoring and disaster management, is making debris mitigation an urgent policy challenge. This book provides the latest findings from the OECD project on the economics of space sustainability, which aims to improve decision makers’ understanding of the societal value of space infrastructure and costs of space debris. It provides comprehensive evidence on the growth of space debris, presents methods to evaluate and quantify the value of the satellites at risk and discusses ways to ensure a more sustainable use of the orbital environment. It notably includes case studies from Italy, Japan and Korea on the socio-economic value of different types of space infrastructure and discusses the feasibility and optimal design of fiscal measures and voluntary environmental rating schemes to change operator behaviour. This work is informed by contributions from researchers worldwide involved in the OECD project.

Inclusive and sustainable economic growth in the six Western Balkan (WB6) economies depends on greater economic competitiveness. Although the gap is closing gradually, the standards of living in WB6 are well below those of the OECD and EU. Accelerating the rate of socio-economic convergence will require a holistic and growth oriented approach to policy making. This is the fourth study of the region (formerly under the title 'Competitiveness in South East Europe') and it comprehensively assesses policy reforms in the WB6 economies across 15 policy areas key to strengthening their competitiveness. It enables WB6 economies to compare economic performance against regional peers, as well as EU-OECD good practices and standards, and to design future policies based on rich evidence and actionable policy recommendations. The regional profile presents assessment findings across five policy clusters crucial to accelerating socio-economic convergence of the WB6 by fostering regional co-operation: business environment, skills, infrastructure and connectivity, digital transformation and greening. Economy-specific profiles complement the regional assessment, offering each WB6 economy an in-depth analysis of their policies supporting competitiveness. They also track the implementation of the previous 2021 study's recommendations and provide additional ones tailored to the economies’ evolving challenges. These recommendations aim to inform structural economic reforms and facilitate the region’s socio-economic convergence towards the standards of the EU and OECD.

While means-tested benefits such as minimum income benefits (MIB) and unemployment assistance (UA) are an essential safety net for low-income people and the unemployed, incomplete take-up is the rule rather than the exception. Building on desk research, open-ended surveys and semi-structured interviews, this paper investigates the opportunities and risks of using artificial intelligence (AI) for managing these means-tested benefits. This ranges from providing information to individuals, through determining eligibility based on pre-determined statutory criteria and identifying undue payments, to notifying individuals about their eligibility status. One of the key opportunities of using AI for these purposes is that this may improve the timeliness and take-up of MIB and UA. However, it may also lead to systematically biased eligibility assessments or increase inequalities, amongst others. Finally, the paper explores potential policy directions to help countries seize AI’s opportunities while addressing its risks, when using it for MIB or UA management.

Given the important role of strategic foresight in policymaking and resilience, the Government of Flanders has been taking steps to improve its capabilities in this area. This report outlines the main findings and recommendations of the OECD assessment of the strategic foresight system of the Government of Flanders. It includes a blueprint and roadmap for incorporating strategic foresight into the public administration of Flanders over the next five years.

Employment has recovered strongly from the COVID-19 pandemic despite large structural changes in labour markets, such as the widespread adoption of digital business models and remote work. We analyse whether the pandemic has been associated with labour reallocation across occupations and triggered mismatches between occupational labour demand and supply using novel data on employers’ job postings and jobseekers’ clicks across 19 countries from the online job site Indeed. Findings indicate that, on average across countries, the pandemic triggered large and persistent reallocation of postings and clicks across occupations. Occupational mismatch initially increased but was back to pre-pandemic levels at the end of 2022 as employers and workers adjusted to structural changes. The adjustment was substantially slower in countries that resorted to short-time work schemes to preserve employment during the pandemic.