Governments and firms need to do more to tackle the gender equality gap in OECD countries, according to an OECD report. Even if the share of working women is high on average in OECD countries, with 62% of all women in paid work, women earn almost a fifth less than men. While one out of four women works part-time, only 6% of men do so. These gender differences widen when there are children, since women are more likely to adjust their work patterns than men.

It is easier to climb the social ladder and earn more than one's parents in the Nordic countries, Australia and Canada than in France, Italy, Britain and the United States, according to a new OECD study. But weak social mobility can signal a lack of equal opportunities, constrain productivity and curb economic growth, says a report on the study. "A Family Affair: Intergenerational social mobility across OECD countries" says climbing the social ladder depends on a range of factors such as individual ability, family and social environments, networks and attitudes. But public action - particularly education and to some extent tax policies - can play a key role in helping people achieve a higher income and social status than their parents.

A combination of intensified globalization brought on by recent turbulence in the global economy and the acceleration of new information technologies is driving companies and governments to look for new business models to meet increased demands for efficiency, competitiveness, short-term agility and long-term growth. This is one of the key findings of a study released today by Accenture (NYSE: ACN) at the World Economic Forum.

In the wake of the recession, women are on the verge of outnumbering men in the workforce for the first time in history, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The second annual survey by Women & Co., a financial community where wisdom, wealth and women meet, backed by Citigroup, uncovers how the economic downturn has impacted what women are thinking, saying, and doing when it comes to money in today's SHE-conomy. Results of the latest survey, Women and Affluence 2010: The Era of Financial Responsibility, reveal that women are using their growing financial knowledge and rising influence to foster an open dialogue about money and usher in a new age of financial responsibility.

With the help of massive government stimulus action, China is now leading the world economy out of recession, according to a new OECD report. Already the world’s second largest economy, China could well overtake the United States to become the leading producer of manufactured goods in the next five to seven years, it says.

Over two-thirds of people believe the current economic crisis is also a crisis of ethics and values. But only 50% think universal values exist. These are among the findings of the World Economic Forum’s Faith and the Global Agenda: Values for the Post-Crisis Economy, an annual report on issues related to the role of faith in global affairs. The report contains a unique new public opinion poll on values. The poll reached over 130,000 respondents in France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Israel, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey and the United States.

The ZEW-Erste Group Bank Sentiment Indicator CEE that reflects the business outlook for Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) increases by 7.1 points to 59.1 points in January. 67.3 percent of the polled financial market experts expect the economic situation to improve in the region till mid of the year.

U.S. productivity weathered the recession well, growing 2.5 percent (in per hour terms) in 2009, The Conference Board reported. This blip in the prevailing downward trend in U.S. productivity was largely explained by dramatically reduced working hours that offset output decline (employment fell by 3.6 percent in 2009; hours worked per worker by 1.5 percent.) U.S. productivity growth is projected at 3 percent for 2010.

The World Economic Forum released Global Risks 2010, its annual report on the most significant and underlying global risks facing the global economy this year and beyond. The report argues that the events of the past year have revealed a fundamental need to change thinking on global risks and how they are managed. With unprecedented levels of interconnectedness between all areas of risk, the report stresses that the need to combat governance gaps globally is greater than ever. It argues that this can only be addressed by an overhaul of current values and behaviours by decision-makers to improve coordination and supervision.

Every day hundreds of Egyptians pay large amounts of money to smugglers to embark on an often perilous journey in unseaworthy boats to Europe, mainly via Libya.

The financial crisis and recession not only exposed failures and excess in the financial sector, but diverted attention from similar weaknesses that existed across British businesses, claims Will Hutton, executive vice chair at The Work Foundation in a new essay. Outlining these weaknesses, he captures the challenges that UK businesses now face, spelling out what needs to be done to address them. He calls on the unions to recognise 21st century workplace realities and specifies how the government could put innovation at the heart of its financial, business and industrial policies.

A new research report from Deloitte U.S. reveals surveyed executives believe the worst of the economic crisis has passed. While many of these leaders look to adopt talent strategies to prevent key employees from leaving for better opportunities, others may be at risk for not implementing talent or innovation strategies needed to seize the opportunities presented by a recovering economy. “Companies may soon find themselves in a fight for talent as the recovery takes hold,” said Jeff Schwartz, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Global Organization and Change Leader. “A defensive strategy of hunkering down with cost cutting and headcount reductions may very well prove to be a losing strategy for weathering the impending resume tsunami. To excel during changing times and the economic recovery, organizations must take an ‘offensive’ approach, implementing talent strategies dedicated to driving innovation.”

McAfee, Inc. revealed that the global cyberarms race has moved from fiction to reality, according to its fifth annual Virtual Criminology Report. The report found that politically motivated cyberattacks have increased and five countries – the United States, Russia, France, Israel and China – are now armed with cyberweapons. “McAfee began to warn of the global cyberarms race more than two years ago, but now we’re seeing increasing evidence that it’s become real,” said Dave DeWalt, McAfee president and CEO. “Now several nations around the world are actively engaged in cyberwar-like preparations and attacks. Today, the weapons are not nuclear, but virtual, and everyone must adapt to these threats.”

56% claim to have seen signs of green shoots in the British economy, says KPMG poll; but ‘no end in sight’ to falling consumer demand. Confidence amongst British businesses has reached its highest level for more than eighteen months but there is still an autumnal chill in the air as concerns about falling sales weigh heavily at the top of boardroom agendas, according to KPMG’s latest quarterly National Business Confidence Survey.

A new report entitled „Board Dynamics - a female perspective‟ is being launched today by boardroom consultancy IDDAS, providing an insight into the views of female board directors of FTSE 100 companies and exploring their role and effectiveness on boards. It includes research that shows that although many of the characteristics of successful female board directors are the same as for their male counterparts, women do believe that they bring a different perspective and are more likely to have certain strengths and weaknesses than men.

While some economic signs seem to be improving, nearly 38 percent of manufacturing CFOs and senior comptrollers surveyed by Grant Thornton LLP do not expect to see the U.S. economy coming out of the current recession until the second half of 2010. Nearly 27 percent expect the recession to end during the first half of 2010, and nearly 15 percent see a more bullish outlook, predicting the recession will end by the end of 2009. The bears weighed in also, however, with some 20 percent of CFOs not expecting to see a turnaround until 2011 or beyond.

The EU’s newest member states in Eastern and Central Europe have begun the recovery one year after the breakout of the global financial crisis as the credit crunch has eased, but most countries undergo large contractions this year, and the recovery is likely to be feeble and uncertain, the World Bank said as it launched its new EU10 Regular Economic Report.

Canada is ranked 13th in the world on the innovation list. In a roundtable discussion at the IBM Science & Innovation Summit, experts debate if and how risk-taking fits into the problem

Iceland has claimed the top spot of the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index 2009 from Norway which slipped to third position behind Finland. Sweden completed the Nordic countries’ continued dominance of the top four. The report’s Index assesses countries on how well they are dividing their resources and opportunities among their male and female populations, regardless of the overall levels of these resources and opportunities.

A joint study from the International Labour Organization and the WTO has found that high incidence of informal employment in the developing world suppresses countries' ability to benefit from trade opening by creating poverty traps for workers in job transition.

Warsaw, Poland has been named by the 20th annual European Cities Monitor as the city which can expect the biggest influx of companies in the next five years, replacing Moscow in popularity which has fallen to second place. 36 of Europe’s largest companies named Warsaw as the European city in which they intended to next expand, up from 28 in 2008. 35 companies named Moscow, down from 44 in 2008.

Eleven French women, 6 businesswomen from both China and the United Kingdom lead the recently released 2009 Fortune lit of the "50 Most Powerful Women" globally. Heading the international list is Cynthia Carroll of Great Britain, CEO of the $44 billion mining company Anglo American. Carroll is cited for making it her mission to transform the safety record of the largest private sector employer in South Africa. Gail Kelly, the CEO and Managing Director of Westpac in Australia places at number 2 in the list. In December of 2009 Kelly orchestrated a merger with St. George Bank, making Westpac Australia's largest bank with a market cap of $59 billion.

Unlike other Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries and the majority of the EU-15, Poland’s economy is remarkably robust, exerting a stabilising effect on the entire region and many euro-area banks. However, the economic and financial crisis has also highlighted structural weaknesses which require determined reform efforts.

Allowing for migration—both within and between countries—has the potential to increase people’s freedom and improve the lives of millions around the world, according to the 2009 Human Development Report.

The Conference Board Leading Economic Index™ (LEI) for the U.S. increased 0.6 percent in August, following a 0.9 percent gain in July, and a 0.8 percent rise in June. “Since reaching a peak in July 2007, the LEI fell for twenty months – the longest downtrend since the mid 1970s – but it has been rising since April and its gains have become very widespread,” says Ataman Ozyildirim, Economist at The Conference Board.

Google, Amazon, and Zara are among this year’s top gainers in BusinessWeek and Interbrand’s annual ranking of the “Best Global Brands.” UBS slipped dramatically down the list, falling 31 places to No. 72, losing 50% of its brand value. Coca-Cola remains the No. 1 brand for the ninth year in a row. For the ninth consecutive year, BusinessWeek has teamed up with Interbrand, a leading brand consultancy, to publish the ranking of the top 100 global brands by brand value.

The economy tops concerns for 2009, but other issues loom large thereafter 41% expect increase in sales in the last half of 2009. Employment and compensation levels stabilize.

Switzerland tops the overall ranking in The Global Competitiveness Report 2009-2010, released by the World Economic Forum ahead of its Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2009 in Dalian. The United States falls one place to second position, with weakening in its financial markets and macroeconomic stability. Singapore, Sweden and Denmark round out the top five. European economies continue to prevail in the top 10 with Finland, Germany and the Netherlands following suit. The United Kingdom, while remaining very competitive, has continued its fall from last year, moving down one more place this year to 13th, mainly attributable to continuing weakening of its financial markets.

A World Economic Forum task force presented world leaders with concrete proposals to accelerate private sector investment and innovation in the fight against climate change. Eighty business leaders and over 40 environmental and scientific experts from around the world outlined a plan for stimulating a “clean revolution” in the private sector within the next few years even as governments continue negotiations on a climate policy framework in the United Nations.

Deutschland ist Vizeweltmeister: Im aktuellen Interbrand-Ranking der 100 wertvollsten Marken der Welt stellt die Bundesrepublik die zweitstärksteGruppe und liegt in der Länderwertung direkt hinter der USA, die das Ranking allerdings klar dominieren.

(pte) - In den Finanzvorstandskreisen weltweit hat der Optimismus wieder die Oberhand gewonnen. Besonders in Asien sehen die Manager einer Erholung der Wirtschaft mit großen Erwartungen entgegen. Gegenüber den Pessimisten überwiegt auch bei Europas Finanzbossen nun erstmals seit Ausbruch der Krise die Zahl der Optimisten. Wie die Universität Tilburg in Zusammenarbeit mit der Duke University und dem CFO Magazine aufzeigt, bleibt dennoch der Arbeitsmarkt das Sorgenkind der wirtschaftlichen Entwicklung. Der Beschäftigungsgrad steige vorerst nicht, die Zahl der Arbeitsplätze werde sogar eher abnehmen. Insgesamt seien die Erwartungen weniger pessimistisch und extrem als in den vorangegangenen Quartalen.

Chinese prosperity can be a win-win for the world, according to business and government leaders at the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting of the New Champions. But if the Chinese are to take over as the world’s leading consumers, China’s per capita GDP, which currently stands at just US$ 2,000, must rise considerably. And for China’s growth to positively impact the developing world, it must work to raise all sectors of resource-rich countries. “The key is a win-win solution through a collectively accepted process,” said Zhao Xiaoyu, Vice-President, Operations, Asian Development Bank, Manila.

Global population numbers are on track to reach 7 billion in 2011, just 12 years after reaching 6 billion in 1999. Virtually all of the growth is in developing countries. And the growth of the world’s youth population (ages 15 to 24) is shifting into the poorest of those countries. The Population Reference Bureau's 2009 World Population Data Sheet and its summary report offer detailed information about country, regional, and global population patterns.

UBS's "Prices and Earnings" study has dubbed Oslo, Zurich, Copenhagen, Geneva, Tokyo and New York as the world's most expensive cities based on a standardized basket of 122 goods and services. When rent prices are factored into the equation, New York, Oslo, Geneva and Tokyo emerge as especially pricey places to live. The basket costs the least in Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Delhi and Mumbai. The study was based on data collected in 73 cities around the world between March and April of this year.

The Conference Board Leading Economic Index™ (LEI) for the U.S. increased 0.6 percent in July, following a 0.8 percent gain in June, and a 1.2 percent rise in May. Says Ken Goldstein, Economist at The Conference Board: “The indicators suggest that the recession is bottoming out, and that economic activity will likely begin recovering soon. The Coincident Economic Index was flat in July – the first time it did not register a decline since October 2008. The Leading Economic Index, which has increased for four consecutive months, suggests that the CEI will turn positive soon.”

When the GDP growth figures were published in May it became official: Africa's largest economy had slipped into the worst recession in seventeen years. However, there are already first signs of an economic recovery. And also the Football World Cup will have a positive impact on the economy of the host country.

Which countries have best weathered the global recession and credit crunch. All economies have been affected by the crisis, but a combination of policy responses and strong fundamentals has given some countries, especially some emerging market economies, a relative edge. These same strengths could lead the countries we highlight below to perform better as the global recovery begins, even if their growth rates remain well below 2003-2007 trends.

In the past two years, Asia's junior tiger has been wrestling with a number of problems. After run-away inflation in 2008 and a slump in growth in the first half of 2009, stabilisation now seems to be around the corner, though. Nonetheless, challenges remain - especially on the fiscal front - and they are structural in nature. If Vietnam succeeds in addressing these challenges, its positive medium-term outlook will be enhanced.

In step with the booming eurozone economy Slovakia had in recent years been the growth high flyer, posting impressive GDP gains. Now, as a member of the eurozone and a very open economy that is deeply integrated into the EU, the country faces the threat of a significant cyclical correction. Should Slovakia in future, however, readopt its past stability orientation, then the country will rapidly regain its status as one of Euroland’s most dynamic economies.

The Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (wiiw) has published its latest Analyses and Forecasts. The report, titled Where Have All the Shooting Stars Gone?, analyses recent economic developments and short- and medium-term prospects of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, Southeast Europe including Turkey, as well as Kazakhstan, Russia, Ukraine and China. Separate chapters present an overview of developments in the European Union’s new member states (NMS) and in the future EU member states (FMS) of Southeast Europe, and deal with the changing role of the IMF in the region and the latest developments in foreign trade.

42 percent of UK business leaders are confident about their prospects; 55 percent believe the UK has reached the bottom of the economic cycle. The mood of those leading British businesses has lifted from the rock bottom reached this spring. In fact levels of confidence among senior executives about their business’ prospects are the highest since spring 2008, despite an increase in the number facing financial difficulty, according to KPMG’s latest National Business Confidence Survey.

Warning of a possible six to eight year employment and social protection crisis due to the economic downturn, International Labour Organization (ILO) Director- General Juan Somavia called on delegates to the 98th International Labour Conference to adopt a “Global Jobs Pact.” Mr. Somavia cited a range of dire economic challenges facing the world of work, ranging from rising unemployment and increasing poverty to stress on businesses, adding, “all of this put together means that the world may be looking at a jobs and social protection crisis of six to eight years duration.”

Die zyklische Natur der kapitalistischen Wirtschaft hat die Welt mit der gegenwärtigen Krise wie ein Faustschlag getroffen. Doch auf jeden Niedergang folgt eine Erholung, wie die Geschichte lehrt.Das größte Problem des kapitalistischen Systems, ohne das es gleichzeitig nicht existieren kann, ist das notwendige Übel des Kredits.Kredite gehören zum Finanzsystem wie das Geld selbst. Erst durch sie wird die Geldmenge definiert und Umlaufvermögen geschaffen. Je höher die Geldmenge, desto höher die Liquidität und desto stärker das Wirtschaftswachstum. Je geringer die Geldmenge – das heißt, je weniger Kredite vergeben werden oder je stärker sie getilgt werden –, desto kleiner das Wachstum. Weniger Kredite sind also schlecht für die Wirtschaft.

In economic downturns, companies can boldly transform their competitive position by taking advantage of the new opportunities that result from dramatic changes in the competitive landscape. Accenture research looks at examples set by industry leaders to identify the strategies that allow companies to emerge as dominant high-performance businesses in their industries.

The Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO) Juan Somavia welcomed the outcome of the London G20 Summit, saying that “The leaders of the G20 have made significant progress in consolidating a coordinated international response to the deepening global crisis". He added, however, that "The difficulty of achieving this common approach to the serious challenges facing different parts of the world should not be underestimated. The agreements on increased funding for the international financial institutions can help to ensure that all countries, including developing and emerging countries, are able to participate in recovery measures according to their needs and policy requirements."

Das in der Zeitschriftenreihe Wirtschaft im Wandel erschienene Themenheft: Weltfinanzkrise versucht, Licht in die komplexen Zusammenhänge der Finanzkrise zu bringen. Anfangs wird in einem Überblick über die Krisenerscheinungen, nämlich ab dem Jahr 2006, die Chronologie der Ereignisse dargestellt, die als Symptome der sich anbahnenden Krise weit später als die sehr tiefliegenden Ursachen sichtbar werden. Im daran anschließenden Beitrag geht es um eine kritische Bestandsaufnahme dessen, was bislang zur Weltfinanzkrise, ihren Ursachen und ihren Effekten in den prognostischen Abschnitten der Gutachten des IWH und der Projektgruppe Gemeinschaftsdiagnose geschrieben worden ist. Es folgen Nachdrucke dreier Artikel, die im Lauf des vergangenen Jahres in der Wirtschaft im Wandel zum Thema Finanzkrise veröffentlicht wurden. Ein weiterer Beitrag befasst sich mit den Krisenländern Europas und fragt, ob die No-Bail-out-Klausel glaubhaft ist.

Due to high household indebtedness and the sharp economic downturn in Emerging Europe, financial markets have become increasingly worried about Austrian banks’ large loan exposure to this region. The strong financial and trade links with Eastern Europe, which have boosted Austrian growth over the past few years, have now become the Achilles’ heel of the Alpine Republic. Given the high importance of Germany and Eastern Europe for Austria’s export sector, the economy is highly vulnerable to the current growth weakness of these countries.

Even in the difficult market, US and UK companies remained the most active during the second half of 2008 in merger-and-acquisition (M&A) deals with emerging and high-growth market companies, according to KPMG International's latest Emerging Markets International Acquisition Tracker (EMIAT) study. The US and UK entities made the most deals and also were targeted most in cross-border M&A activity with emerging and high-growth market firms, according to the study, which tracks completed deals in which an acquirer took at least a 10 percent shareholding interest. In the second half of 2008, emerging and high-growth market companies made 24 US acquisitions and 23 UK acquisitions, while US and UK companies made 99 and 50 emerging and high-growth market acquisitions, respectively.

“Who invented it? The Swiss!” This is probably one of the best-known commercials in the world. And not only the Swiss company that makes “Ricola” herb drops, but everybody in Switzerland participating in the process of innovation deserves a mention here. Companies and investors, politicians and those involved in education and even individual economic agents all seem to pull together to create an innovation-friendly environment in Switzerland.

The Conference Board Leading Economic IndexTM (LEI) for the Euro Area increased 0.5 percent in January to 92.8 (2004 = 100), following a 1.7 percent fall in December and a 1.8 percent drop in November. The widening interest rate spread and increasing business expectations in services more than offset a negative contribution from the Economic Sentiment Index. “If sustained, the 0.5 percent rise in The Conference Board LEI for the Euro Area in January may signal an inflection point in the recession, but still not a turning point,” said Jean-Claude Manini, The Conference Board Senior Economist for Europe. “The expansionary policy mix currently in place may favor a rebound during the second half of 2009, but history suggests that the combination of traditional recessions and financial crises often lead to subdued recoveries.”