Contributing to a Global Effort on the Coronavirus

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What are the impacts and consequences of the coronavirus pandemic on our lives and our societies – and what are some of the solutions we can find to boost our healthcare systems, secure our businesses, maintain our jobs and education, and stabilize financial markets and economies?  Find ourtmore from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD):

• Policy response – Supporting livelihoods during the COVID‑19 crisis: Closing the gaps in safety nets.
• Data – International trade outlook points to sharp deterioration in April.
• Perspective – The only way to beat the COVID-19 crisis is if we come together and commit to science.
• Webinar – Global Deal webinar on managing the pandemic: Approaches taken by Global Deal partners.
• Perspective – One World: Global solidarity for recovery and resilience.
• Perspective – Global container shipping and the corona crisis.

Read a full perspective here.

What Is a Scale Up Business?

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The scaling up of SMEs is key to boost productivity and achieve inclusive growth.  The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)-Eurostat Manual on Business Demography Statistics (2007) defines high-growth enterprises as “enterprises with an average annualized growth greater than 20% a year, over a 3-year period, and with 10 or more employees at the beginning of the observation period."

But what is a scale up business?

Learn more by reading a paper on Enabling SMEs to Scale Up.  This paper was prepared as a background document to the OECD Ministerial Conference on Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, taking place on 22-23 February 2018 in Mexico.

Key finding:  Start-ups that scale up provide a key contribution to job creation and key drivers of competitiveness.

Global Trade Flows Set To Recover

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According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the global economy is emerging from its worst slump since Second World War faster than it had forecast only three months ago but activity will remain weak.

Read more about it here.

Read the presentation (immediate PDF file) from the press conference.

What Can the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Do For You?

OECD's work on trade is about providing analysis, policy advice and guidance to create a better understanding of trade and investment liberalization and how it can lead to stronger economic growth as well as to greater integration of countries into the world economy.

Look at their work for 2009 and see how it may alter your outlook on global trade.

Assessing barriers to trade in services in the MENA region

This paper (PDF file) aims to assess barriers to service provision in the financial, telecom, and transport sectors of selected MENA countries. The analysis is focused on computation of aggregate and modal trade restrictiveness indexes (TRIs) by sector.

Overcoming Border Bottlenecks: The Costs and Benefits of Trade Facilitation

Six studies that examine how border bottlenecks affect trade and investment flows, how these bottlenecks might be reduced, and whether the expense involved is worth it.

Trade flows weaken in third quarter 2008

Merchandise export volumes of the Group of Seven countries fell 0.2% in the third quarter of 2008 compared with the previous quarter, while import volumes rose 0.4%.

Recovery and Beyond: Enhancing Competitiveness to Realise Indonesia’s Trade Potential

There is much scope for trade to enhance economic growth in Indonesia. This paper (PDF file) analyses Indonesian trade policy following the Asian Financial crisis, and identifies some key reforms that may help to increase competitiveness.

-> The video above is Ken Ash, Director for Trade for OECD who warns against protectionism as a reaction to the crisis. He outlines the course of action governments should follow.

There is much more from OECD here.