Conclusion

Abstract

This book has examined one part of the work that OECD does - governance and public management. The OECD conducts research on many other topics, from the space economy to education, and these areas often gain much more public attention that its research on public management - the PISA results routinely make headlines among both participating and non-participating countries (Ripley 2011). While governance and public management may not generate headlines, we have tried to show that they are nonetheless important for all states and for the OECD itself, despite its historical emphasis on economic development. Even the best economic policies will not achieve their objectives if state administrations are corrupt or inept. One of the contributions of the OECD - not headline grabbing, but a contribution nonetheless - is to reflect on “good governance” practices and circulate research on those practices to governments themselves and to other networks of institutions that focus on governance issues.