More: Audio, video

Programme for International Student Assessment - PISA

The following clips present schools and instructional settings in selected PISA participating countries, focusing on the teaching and learning of science, the key subject area examined in PISA 2006.

 Canada, Finland, Germany, Japan, Mexico
© OECD and TeVau Filmproduktions GmbH

 Demography in Africa

Africa’s population is doubling every twenty years. Two out of three Africans are under the age of 25. And, in much of the continent, the average number of children per woman is still seven or eight. The OECD says this is storing up huge problems for the future.

 Business is booming in Latin America

The OECD's Development Centre has just published its first Economic Outlook for Latin America  predicting a continued boom for the region, however urgent socio-economic challenges remain. Spanish

Economic Outlook for Latin America 2008

Javier Santiso, Director of the OECD's Development Centre,  talks about specific economic challenges facing Latin America: improving public finances, pension reform, boosting competition in the telecoms sector and reinforcing competitiveness with the emerging Asian economies.

 The OECD Anti-Bribery convention fights against corruption

Corruption wastes millions of dollars and works against the aims of developed and developing countries. What is the role of the OECD Anti-Bribery convention in the fight against corruption?

Andreas Schleicher, Head of the Indicators and Analysis Division, OECD Directorate for Education, is interviewed for the release of Education at a Glance 2007, the OECD annual compendium of data and analysis. One of the topics covered this year is the rapid expansion of higher education in OECD countries. Interviews in French and German.

Energy

The OECD’s Nuclear Energy Agency, which just published a new report called Risks and Benefits of Nuclear Energy, believes this most controversial source of power is moving towards a renaissance, given concern about climate change, oil supply security moving up the political agenda and oil prices close to 70 dollars a barrel. Interview of Luis Echavarri, NEA Director General, by John Laurenson, OECD TV.

Mark Pieth, Chairman of the OECD Working Group on Bribery, is interviewed about what progress governments and business have made in their fight against corruption since the signing of the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention in 1997.

Agriculture

Growing fuels in the fields looks much cleaner than oil but the OECD says biofuels are not as green as they seem. Martin Von Lampe, OECD Agricultural Policy Analyst and author of a report on biofuels, and Fatih Birol, Chief Economist, International Energy Agency, are interviewed by John Laurenson, OECD TV.

OECD in
Latin
America

Most countries in Latin America have strong economic growth and sustainable strategies to pay down external debt. However they must now deal with their social problems. (Only available in Spanish)

Gender

Gender equality is an essential human right and crucial to economic development. The OECD Development Centre's Gender, Institutions and Development Data Base (GID-DB) is full of fascinating facts about gender equality and inequality. Denis Drechsler explains the main features and findings of this statistical tool.

Education

Understanding the Brain (Also available in Japanese)

How does the brain change as we learn? How does the way we learn change as we age? Can we slow the development of brain disorders? To know more about neuroscience, listen to the co-author of Understanding the Brain: The Birth of a Learning Science, Koji Miyamoto from the OECD’s Centre for Educational Research and Innovation.

Education

 Education is vital for economic success, both at the national and the individual level. But education also has significant social effects. Tom Schuller, Head of CERI, is interviewed for the release of Understanding the Social Outcomes of Learning, OECD’s first attempt to gather and synthesise developments in measuring these social effects

What would it take to deliver a new generation of medicines for the neglected diseases of the developing world? Dr Solomon Nwaka, WHO, interviewed by Jack Radisch, OECD Policy Analyst, provides an insider's view on what is needed to make virtual drugs discovery networks even more effective. More information on the High Level Forum on Medicines for Neglected and Emerging Infectious Diseases.

Agricultural policies in non-OECD countries (press highlights)

OECD agricultural policy analyst Jonathan Brooks, a contributor to a new report on Agricultural Policies in non-member countries, explains developments in Brazil's farm sector. Andrzej Kwiecinski, another OECD contributor, talks about the challenges facing agriculture in China and Ukraine. An overview is also available in French.

 OECD fighting corruption 

Corruption wastes millions of dollars and works against the aims of developed and developing countries. French, Spanish

Sustainable
Development

 Sustainable development in Asia

The OECD and countries in the Asia Pacific region are discussing policies meant to ensure that economic growth, social equity and a healthy environment are sustainable. For more information, please visit www.oecd.org/sustainabledevelopment/asia.

The high price of some new non-polluting energy technologies makes it hard for them to compete with traditional energy sources. Spanish
 

New energy technologies could solve many concerns about the economic and environment costs, and potential shortages, of fossil fuels. French

Boom times are back with IT growth well ahead of the rest of the world economy.  But there is a new player, says the OECD's Information Technology Outlook. French

This 3-minute video explains what the OECD/PISA programme is and progress made so far.