Posted . Productivity growth is essential for living standards to durably improve. Malaysia has reached a development stage where growth needs to be driven more by productivity gains than the sheer accumulation of capital and labour inputs. The 11th Malaysia Plan (2016-20) sets an ambitious labour productivity growth target of 3.7% per year, well above than the 2% average growth recorded from 2011 to 2015. More...
Successful macro transformation in Malaysia, but challenges remain
Posted . Malaysia has sustained rapid and inclusive economic growth for close to half a century, as documented in the OECD’s first Economic Assessment of Malaysia (OECD, 2016). Real GDP growth has averaged 6.4% per year since 1970, outperforming most of its regional peers. More...
A peek at PISA
By Marilyn Achiron. Sorry, we can’t divulge the results (those will be announced on 6 December); but now that we have your attention, we thought you might like to learn a little more about the test, itself, so that when the results are finally announced, you’ll have a better idea of what those results mean. More...
LGBT inclusivity: a priority for the OECD
Over the last two decades, attitudes toward LGBT have been improving in a majority of OECD countries (see Figure 1). Yet, even among this group which turns out to be the most tolerant worldwide, homophobia and transphobia remain widespread, with an average score lower than 5 on the “justifiability of homosexuality” scale – where 1 means that homosexuality is never justifiable and 10 means that it is always justifiable. More...
How to make OECD standards a global success
The report International Regulatory Co-operation: the Role of International Organisations in Fostering Better Rules of Globalisation, recently launched at the OECD together with 5 other international organisations (FAO, ISO, OIML, UNECE, WHO) is not an obvious choice for the most exciting report of 2016. More...
The end of the bargain? And should we worry?
We’ve all felt it – the rush you get when you find a great bargain at a price way less than you would happily have paid. But will these moments continue in the digital world as shopping moves online and the scope for firms to charge different prices to different customers increases. More...
What does “good” look like for companies trying to address modern slavery?
Addressing modern slavery is becoming a business-critical for companies – for credibility with customers, investors, NGOs and the public – according to new research by Hult International Business School and The Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI). 77% of companies think there is a likelihood of modern slavery occurring in their supply chains, up from 71% last year, and it is perceived to be more widespread – in particular in the UK, and at the farthest reaches of the supply chain. More...
Landmark human rights cases show value of OECD grievance mechanism for responsible business
Compensation for indigenous people for adverse impacts of business activities, companies agreeing to carry out human rights due diligence concerning products in their value chain, authoritative statements that set the standard for the garment industry worldwide in the aftermath of Rana plaza – these are just some examples of achievements by the National Contact Points (NCPs) for responsible business in recent months. More...
A dash of data: Spotlight on Spanish households
Economic growth (GDP) always gets a lot of attention, but when it comes to determining how people are doing it’s interesting to look at other indicators that focus more on the actual material conditions of households. This blog looks at a number of alternative indicators to see how households in Spain are faring. More...
Urban green growth is about asking the right questions at the right time
Cities and urban areas represent unrivalled concentrations of people, economic growth, commercial networks, and innovation – and have the potential to make a significant contribution to the transition towards a low-carbon world. More...