Publications & Documents

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.

Improving rural development, well-being and maximising the potential in rural areas requires greater horizontal and vertical co-ordination at the national, regional, and local level as well as the mainstreaming of rural issues across all policies. However, taking an integrated approach to rural development - where rural ministries and non-rural ministries coordinate in the development of polices and initiatives - is often very challenging. Rural proofing is a tool to help policy makers overcome this challenge and develop more nuanced rural-friendly policies. It involves making policy decisions based on evidence on rural dynamics available in a timely fashion to enable changes and adjustments. In practice, however, it is a mechanism that has proved complex to design, implement, and sustain. This article explores how more robust rural proofing models can be developed, with health as a focal point. Drawing on lessons from different OECD member countries, it develops a roadmap for more effective rural proofing mechanisms to help embed the practice in the policy space and culture of governments.

This report assesses the potential for linkages between foreign direct investment (FDI) and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Czechia, and provides policy recommendations to foster productivity and innovation spillovers to the local economy. The report examines the quality of investment that the country attracts, the productive and innovative capacities of Czech SMEs, and a broad range of economic, business and policy conditions that can strengthen knowledge and technology diffusion from foreign multinationals to domestic enterprises. It also assesses Czechia’s institutional environment and policy mix across the areas of international investment, SMEs and entrepreneurship, innovation and regional development, noting areas for policy reform. The report includes a regional focus on the potential for FDI and SME linkages and spillovers in South Moravia and Usti.

This profile provides a concise and policy-focused overview of the state of health and the healthcare system in Czechia, as a part of the broader series of Country Health Profiles from the State of Health in the EU initiative. It presents a succinct analysis encompassing the following key aspects: the current health status in Czechia; the determinants of health, focusing on behavioural risk factors; the organisation of the Czech healthcare system; and an evaluation of the health system's effectiveness, accessibility, and resilience. Moreover, the 2023 edition presents a thematic section on the state of mental health and associated services in Czechia. This profile is the collaborative effort of the OECD and the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, carried out in cooperation with the European Commission.

Le Comité d’aide au développement (CAD) de l’OCDE mène tous les cinq à six ans un examen par les pairs qui passe en revue les efforts de coopération pour le développement de chacun de ses membres. Ces examens visent à améliorer la qualité et l’efficacité de leur coopération, en mettant en évidence les bonnes pratiques et en recommandant des améliorations. L'aide publique au développement de la République tchèque (Tchéquie), stable à 0,14 % du revenu national brut en moyenne depuis 2016, a bondi à 0,36 % en 2022, principalement en raison des coûts liés à l'accueil des réfugiés ukrainiens. La Tchéquie est reconnue pour son soutien aux droits de l'homme. Sa stratégie de long terme 2018-2030 garantit à la fois prévisibilité et flexibilité. Le rapport souligne son engagement auprès de l'Union européenne et de ses membres et identifie les moyens de renforcer l'apprentissage institutionnel. Alors que la coopération tchèque progresse vers les normes du CAD, cet examen fournit des recommandations pour renforcer sa structure institutionnelle, pour accélérer les progrès vers une action plus cohérente qui lutte explicitement contre pauvreté et/ou les inégalités, et pour construire de meilleurs partenariats.

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.

This paper investigates the demand for language skills using data on online job vacancies in 27 European Union member countries and the United Kingdom in 2021. Evidence indicates that although Europe remains a linguistically diverse labour market, knowing English confers unique advantages in certain occupations. Across countries included in the analyses, a knowledge of English was explicitly required in 22% of all vacancies and English was the sixth most required skill overall. A knowledge of German, Spanish, French and Mandarin Chinese was explicitly demanded in between 1% and 2% of all vacancies. One in two positions advertised on line for managers or professionals required some knowledge of English, on average across European Union member countries and across OECD countries in the sample. This compares with only one in ten positions for skilled agricultural, forestry and fishery workers and among elementary occupations.

Despite recent progress to improve gender equality in the Czech Republic, several gender gaps persist in different areas of the society and economy. Based on growing evidence on how gender-sensitive policymaking can underpin inclusive growth and resilience, this OECD review has been developed to help the government of the Czech Republic strengthen its capacities for implementing and mainstreaming gender equality across the whole of government. It assesses strategic enablers such as legal and strategic frameworks, the institutional set-up, and accountability mechanisms for gender mainstreaming in the country. It also examines the tools and practices that can be used to inform gender-sensitive policymaking in the Czech Republic. Drawing upon promising practices across OECD countries, it offers evidence-informed recommendations, tailored to the Czech context to improve governance and capacities for accelerating progress in gender equality.