This book explores the history of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and its place within capitalist development. Since 1948, the OECD and its forerunner, the Organization for European Economic Cooperation (OEEC) worked on almost every subject of interest to national governments ranging from economic growth to education (PISA rankings), statistics, to the environment. With varying success the OEEC/OECD thus played a key role as a warden of the West and of capitalist development. However, it has remained one of the least understood international organizations. Bringing together a number of case studies by scholars from around the world, this first source-based volume on the history of the OEEC/OECD in global governance offers not only a new understanding of the Organization’s key areas of activities, but also its multiple relations to member states, other international organizations, and private networks. The volume thus critically re-examines postwar international history, most importantly decolonization and the Cold War, through the prism of one international organization in its various contexts.

This publication reviews the major turning points in the history of economic integration, and in particular the pace at which it has accelerated since the 1990s. It also considers its impact in four crucial areas, namely employment, development, the environment and financial stability.

Celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2021, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is routinely heralded as one of the leading organs of global governance, yet it remains one of the least written about and least well understood of our major global institutions. This fully revised and updated second edition builds a well-rounded understanding of this crucial, though often neglected, institution. A range of clearly written chapters chart the origins and evolution of the organization, comprehend its influence, examine its current agenda, and evaluate its future prospects. Rather than the simplified characterizations of the OECD as a “rich-country’s club” or “think tank,” this book suggests that truly understanding the OECD and its significance to global governance requires it to be conceived as the entity it truly is: an international organization. New to this edition: Outlines the OECD’s origins and evolution, bringing its story fully up to date Considers the ‘OECD way’ of working, including the peer review process Examines competing views of the OECD’s influence over global governance Evaluates the OECD reform and the organization’s future prospects This concise introduction continues to be vital reading for all students of international relations, politics and world history and affairs.

This book documents the recent developments of what Marx called the 'general law of social production', and the leading roles of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development and the World Bank as advocates of a single global model of capitalist development. Marx's 'general law of social production', proposed in Capital (1867), suggests that as the capitalist system of production becomes global, and competition between capitalists becomes more intense, workers are compelled to be versatile (multi-skilled), flexible, and mobile in order to survive. This general law, resulting from scientific and technological innovation and continuous advances in the division of labour generated by competition between capitalists, has given rise to global production chains, 'zero hours' contracts, and the breaking down of production processes into smaller and smaller individual steps, increasingly supported by advanced machines and digital platforms. This book identifies the universal policy framework that promotes these developments as the politics of global competitiveness, and shows that the Washington-based World Bank and the Paris-based Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), working together, are its principal advocates. They do not narrowly promote the interests of the advanced capitalist economies, or the 'West' and its transnational corporations, but rather the unlimited development of the global capitalist system and the world market as a whole. When their policies are examined together and compared, they reveal a single, shared programme, focused not on the relationship between the developed and the developing world, but on the global relationship between capital and labour. Put at its simplest, their aim is to ensure that as many people as possible across the world have the potential to be productive workers, and to propose reforms to welfare or social protection that will oblige them to offer themselves to capitalists for work.

Formed in 1947, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) was the first postwar international organization dedicated to economic cooperation in Europe. Linking the universalism of the UN to European regionalism, both Cold War superpowers, the USA and the Soviet Union, were founding members of the UNECE. Building on the League of Nations' difficult heritage, and in an increasingly challenging political environment, the UNECE's mission was to facilitate European cooperation transcending the boundaries set by the Cold War . With a number of competitor organizations set against it, the UNECE managed to carve out a niche for itself, setting norms and standards that still have an impact on the everyday lives of millions in Europe and beyond today. Working against an overwhelming geopolitical trend, UNECE succeeded in bridging the Cold War divide on several occasions, and maintained a broad system of contacts across the Iron Curtain. This book provides a unique study of this important but hitherto under-researched international organization. Incorporating research on the Cold War, the history of internationalism and European integration, Stinsky weaves these different threads of historical enquiry into a single analytical narrative.

This book examines the educational role of three international organizations created as part of the post-World War II multilateral architecture: the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the World Bank, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). These organizations have significantly promoted and shaped education as a fundamental feature of the modernization of society and contributed to the globalization of educational norms, policies and technologies. Drawing on primary source materials and interviews, the book provides novel perspectives to the literature on the global governance of education by focusing on the historical entanglements, relations and power struggles between these three organizations, rather than treating them separately. The study sheds light on the homogenizing effects of globalized educational policy-making and the shifting power dynamics in the global governance of education. ‘This book makes a very distinctive and important contribution to the literature that critically analyses the influence of the global agencies on education globally; it goes beyond the standard discursive analyses of policy texts to also explore the history of those organisations through archival research and in-depth interviews of the key personnel. What emerges is a powerful analysis which locates those agencies within their historical epochs and shines a light on their tensions and micro-politics, both internally and between organisations.’ Paul Morris, Professor of Comparative Education, Institute of Education, University College London, UK ‘A must-read historical account of the intermingling, boundary setting and competition between the three big intergovernmental organizations (IOs) in education: OECD, UNESCO, and the World Bank. Different from other scholars that document how these IOs have transformed themselves in response to external and internal changes, Elfert and Ydesen draw attention to the relational aspect: how have these three IOs navigated conflict, carved niches, and used and abused each other to amplify and expand their own mission? How have they done so in an environment that is crowded with intergovernmental and international organizations, each with a claim to govern education globally?’ Gita Steiner-Khamsi, Professor of Comparative and International Education, Teachers College, Columbia University; UNESCO Chair of Comparative Education Policy of the Geneva Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies 'This volume is a thoughtful and timely work of scholarship. Understanding the roles of UNESCO, the OECD and the World Bank is central to understanding contemporary education in global perspective. Elfert and Ydesen’s historical analysis sets out in rigorous detail how these organisations have evolved, and what has shaped and driven this evolution. The historical analysis is complemented by contemporary interview data, facilitating an actor-level analysis as well as a broader picture. The book is conceptually and theoretically rich while being accessibly written; the authors manage complexity remarkably well. For anyone interested in global governance and the role of international organisations, or anyone who wants to understand in general how global educational agendas have developed and converged, this book is a most valuable read.' Michele Schweisfurth, Professor of Comparative and International Education, University of Glasgow, UK Chapter "UNESCO, the OECD and the World Bank: A Global Governance Perspective” is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.

This fascinating book investigates the strategic importance of the production and dissemination of expertise in the activities of the international organizations (IOs) that have come to symbolize the dominance of the Western political and economic order.

In the last decade, the OECD has undergone a period of transformation under the leadership of Secretary-General Angel Gurría and his senior management – a transformation that has revitalised the organisation’s operations and outputs. Now celebrating its 60th anniversary, the OECD provides an increasingly valuable resource for its members and partners worldwide. This, the only book to cover the last ten years of the OECD’s work, focuses on the policy-related advice, evidence-based global standards, trusted statistics and analysis, and support for policy reform that it has developed. The book commences with a brief history of the OECD and its key decision processes and then examines the impact of its leadership in driving a wide range of achievements and in securing an expanding, increasingly global role. It focuses on the organisation’s green agenda and the move to measure living conditions in a more detailed fashion, rather than relying largely on GDP, and on the inclusive growth project that aims at making markets work for all. It discusses the OECD’s remarkably influential work in education, including PISA and PIAAC, and demonstrates the capacity of the OECD to embrace new areas of work – the importance of innovation and the digital economy in driving economic growth. Based on access to a wide range of documents and extensive interviews with senior officials and members, this comprehensive book also sheds light on the OECD’s partnership with the G20 in the push for stronger international co-operation and transparency in tax matters as well their Inclusive Framework on Base Erosion and Profit shifting (BEPS), aimed at tackling tax avoidance. The OECD’s strategic response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the drive to develop ‘Smart Data’ are also covered.

This book presents a comprehensive study of the emergence, functioning and evolution of international cooperation among competition authorities. It presents an in-depth look at network cooperation taking place within international organisations, as well as networks based on binding international agreements and various informal networks, among others. It further identifies and analyses the forms of international cooperation among national competition authorities (NCAs) that are taking place within transnational competition networks. The book classifies these forms of cooperation by grouping them into three stages – soft, developed and enhanced cooperation – discussing each in detail. It thus reflects the evolution of the international cooperation process and provides insights as to its possible development. This work will be of interest to researchers, academics and advanced students in the fields of competition law, public administration, international relations and those interested in international competition law and its contribution to global public governance.

International Organizations play a pivotal role on the modern global stage and have done, this book argues, since the beginning of the 20th century. This volume offers the first historical exploration into the formative years of international public administrations, covering the birth of the League of Nations and the emergence of the second generation that still shape international politics today such as the UN, NATO and OECD. Centring on Europe, where the multilaterization of international relations played out more intensely in the mid-20th century than in other parts of the world, it demonstrates a broad range of historiographical and methodological approaches to institutions in international history. The book argues that after several 'turns' (cultural, linguistic, material, transnational), international history is now better equipped to restate its core questions of policy and power with a view to their institutional dimensions. Making use of new approaches in the field, this book develops an understanding of the specific powers and roles of IO-administrations by delving into their institutional make-up.