OECD Podcasts

Pioneering research is showing that brain trauma is pervasive in cases of domestic violence against women. Depression, anxiety, memory loss, disorientation, and sleep problems are all potential symptoms of someone who has experienced a traumatic brain injury. Recognising and treating brain injuries is key to help survivors of domestic violence. In the second episode of the OECD podcast series “Tru...

In April 2021, the European Union unveiled a proposal for unprecedented regulations on the use of AI technologies — with implications for companies, governments, and citizens alike. The tide seems to be shifting, with private companies facing increasing scrutiny. We will hear how regulation can promote innovation, and how citizens can be brought into the discussion. This episode is the second in a...

Promoting economic and social progress throughout the world has been the aim of the OECD since it opened in September 1961. One member country that has embodied this goal since the outset is Ireland. Its strong economic performances, the quality of life and its appeal to global investors are just some illustrations of this. So, as we build the post-pandemic world, what lessons can we draw from Ire...

Violence against women is one of the most widespread, persistent and devastating human rights violations in the world. More than one in three women worldwide say they experienced physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. The pandemic has made things worse: confinement trapped millions of women around the world at home with their abusers. In the first episode of the OECD podcast series “Truth...

The COVID-19 pandemic has not affected everyone equally, and people of colour have paid a particularly high price, whether in terms of lives lost among vulnerable frontline workers or higher unemployment and economic hardship, or even by being left out of vaccine rollouts. The coronavirus crisis has exposed the need to step up the fight against racism and discrimination, spurred on by global prote...

International Women's Day on 8 March is particularly important this year, as COVID-19 threatens decades of progress towards gender equality. In this tale of two different cities, and in association with the OECD Champion Mayors initiative, Karina Piser talks to Mayor Lisa Helps of Victoria, British Columbia in Canada, and Diana Rodriguez Franco, the Secretary of Women's Issues in Bogotá, Colombia,...

Globalisation has brought major benefits for businesses, but at the same time it has enabled large multinational firms to book their profits in countries with low or no tax, rather than where they carry out their business activity. Governments lose out because shifting profits in this way can erode the tax base. Moreover, the digital economy adds to the challenge of working out how much internatio...

The Covid-19 vaccine is finally here. Finding the vaccine was the first step, but the Covid-19 pandemic poses many challenges about international cooperation and distributing a vaccine, public confidence, digitalisation in health care and many more. How can we produce enough vaccines to make an impact? How can we ensure that the vaccine is accessible for everyone? And once accessible, does the gen...

Shoshana Zuboff is the author of The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: A Fight for a Human Future and the New Frontier of Power. Her book's release is very timely considering the impact of COVID-19. Collection and use of private data have expanded, bringing privacy concerns even further to the fore. What does the digital acceleration in this pandemic mean for our future? Shoshana Zuboff spoke with A...

Machine learning, or artificial intelligence, can be traced back to the 1950s, but really leapt forward in the last decade or so thanks to more powerful computing. AI is at the wheel when it comes to driverless cars, and is used by farmers to monitor crops, and by the police to solve crime. It has promise in health care too, including to better detect COVID-19. Could AI go too far, as machines tea...

Après le tournant du confinement et une rentrée pleine d’incertitudes, où en sommes-nous ? Qu’a révélé cette crise du COVID du système éducatif en France et ailleurs ? Comment poursuivre la lutte contre les inégalités dans le sillage des fermetures d’école ? N’avons-nous pas tendance à attendre tout des enseignants alors que les alliances éducatives avec les parents et les acteurs de terrain sont...

Back to school? Or not back to school? That is the question…. In the first half of 2020, 188 countries temporarily closed their schools to slow down the spread of the Covid-19 virus. Suddenly, more than 1.5 billion young people were on their own or following classes online. Many school re-openings since then have continued to be disrupted by the virus: some have had to switch back to remote learni...

Are cities our best hope for the planet? Ashok Sridharan, mayor of Bonn, Germany, thinks so. Part of the OECD’s Champion Mayors for Inclusive Growth Initiative, Bonn is pursuing sustainable development in things like energy, transport and housing, while addressing the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. With half of the world’s population living in urban areas, which produce half of global...

Trade tensions have been steadily ramping up. Brexit is rife with uncertainty and the COVID-19 pandemic has added new turbulence with lockdowns and radically changing consumer demand. But now is precisely the time when the world needs to come together on trade says Julia Nielson, deputy director of the OECD Trade and Agriculture Directorate. To learn more about the OECD's work on Covid-19, go to:...

Covid-19 has upended the jobs market. More than ever, people need to retrain to adapt to the change and loss in jobs. Governments and businesses require data to pinpoint what kinds of jobs the economy needs and what skills are missing, and then invest. Jacques van den Broek is the CEO and executive chair of the Executive Board of Randstad, a global leader in Human Resources services. For more info...

In early 2020, the employment rate in OECD countries hit a new record high, after the decade-long recovery from the 2008 financial crisis. Then the coronavirus pandemic hit, with millions of people unable to go to work, an exceptionally stark drop in economic activity and unprecedented job losses. What needs to be done to get firms back in business and people back to work? www.oecd.org/employment-...

The global health crisis brought on by COVID-19 has triggered what is likely to become the worst economic recession in a century. And it has also brought huge uncertainty, about how long the crisis will last, how it will affect our jobs, our societies, and our thinking. Martin Wolf, chief economics commentator of the Financial Times, talked to Rory Clarke about the challenges and offers advice to...

Depuis le début de l'année 2020, la pandémie de coronavirus s'est répandue comme une traînée de poudre, fauchant des centaines de milliers de vies. Elle a fait des ravages en termes de santé, de bien-être et d’emplois. Elle a provoqué la récession la plus grave jamais observée depuis près d'un siècle. Quelles sont les perspectives économiques ? La reprise peut-elle être rapide ? Que peuvent faire...

With the world economy on a tightrope, what can policymakers do to inch us forward to recovery? OECD Chief Economist Laurence Boone, explains the main messages of the Economic Outlook released on June 10th. Host: Rory Clarke Producer: Robin Allison Davis To learn more about the Economic Outlook, go to: www.oecd.org/economic-outlook To learn more about the OECD's work on Covid-19, go to: www.oecd.o...

Digital learning tools have been a lifeline during the Covid-19 lockdown but what does this mean for teachers, students and parents? Access to technology and its use, particularly for the most vulnerable, are under the spotlight, along with mental and physical wellbeing. As countries head back to schools, how is this new normal shaping learning now and in the future? To learn more, go to: www.oecd...

After months of battling the coronavirus, where are we in this pandemic? What has the impact been on health systems and workers? As some countries begin to ease restrictions, what can policymakers do to minimise risk and prevent another lockdown? www.oecd.org/coronavirus Host: Kate Lancaster Guest: Francesca Colombo, Head, Health Policy Division, OECD Producer: Robin Allison Davis Get the latest O...

The Covid-19 pandemic has shocked our world. Our healthcare systems are under intense pressure, and the economy is suffering badly too, with stalling trade and investment, and massive job losses adding to human suffering. We talk to Frederic Jenny, Professor of Economics at ESSEC Business School in Paris and chair of the OECD Competition Committee. Why have our economies been so badly affected by...

According to the World Health Organisation, 1 in 3 women around the world have experienced physical or sexual violence or both at least once in their life. And 38% of women who are murdered are murdered by their male intimate partners. How does austerity affect domestic violence? And the rise or fall in the numbers of women in powerful positions? Professor Sylvia Walby OBE is the director of the V...

We hold many assumptions about our workplaces and about what makes a good job, ones that often leave out women’s perspectives. Dr. Sally Roever of Women in Informal Employment Globalizing and Organizing, known as WIEGO, explains how social dialogue can broaden our understanding of work, unpack our assumptions about labour, and better working conditions for women around the world. Host: Kate Lancas...

« Les questions d'environnement ne s’arrêtent pas aux frontières. Quand les problèmes sont globaux, mondiaux, les réponses doivent être globales, mondiales. » Président du Conseil constitutionnel et ancien ministre et Premier ministre, Laurent Fabius nous parle sans fard de l’urgence écologique. Climat, biodiversité… « il faut agir vite, parce que si l'on renvoie les choses à plus tard, ce sera tr...