Since November 2007, the Centre has been preparing short outlook reports on various socio-economic development topics related to the OIC Member States. Using the Centre’s OIC Statistics (OICStat) Database, these reports present statistical information and analytical investigations on the topics under consideration, enriched with figures and tables. The topics of these reports include, among others, demography and structure of population, size and structure of the economy, saving and investment, structure and direction of trade, labour productivity, health, tourism, gender, food security, cancer and street children.

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Current State of Statistical Capacity in OIC Countries

Referred to as one of the “Fathers of Science Fiction Genre”, Herbert George Wells stated that “[S]tatistical thinking will one day be as necessary for efficient citizenship as the ability to read and write.” (Wells, 1903). Encompassing both logical and analytical reasoning, statistical thinking evaluates the “whole” of a problem with its sub-components, including the processes and solutions.

The State of Gender in OIC Member Countries

Today gender equality and women’s empowerment in all fields of social and economic life is gaining importance from the perspectives of both policy development and human rights. Following international commitments and guidelines most of the development policies have already been based on the principle of incorporating the priorities and needs of both women and men in order to offer equal opportunity for access to all the benefits and services provided to the society. The United Nations Beijing Declaration’s 12 Critical Areas of Concern provided an international framework for action on the advancement and empowerment of women; however there are still some problems regarding integration of gender related aspects into all operational levels of policy implementations across the world (UN World Women Report, 2010).

Economic Growth and Convergence across the OIC Countries: An Econometric Framework

There has been considerable empirical work on cross-country growth for the last two decades. On the one hand, there were studies done on the basis of pre-existing models of growth in the tradition of Solow (1956), Cass (1965), and Koopmans (1965) and, on the other hand, some others were done along with the emergence of endogenous growth theories, including but not limited to, Uzawa (1965), Romer (1986) and Lucas (1988).

Private Participation in Infrastructure in OIC Countries

A well-functioning and efficient infrastructure is highly instrumental for economic and social development. It increases living standards, attracts more businesses, and supports the production process of agricultural and manufactured goods by reducing costs. It also helps economic integration and facilitates trade as it eases the access to goods and services. Better transport and communication links make it easier for many countries to access international markets, which is particularly of significant importance for landlocked countries. Infrastructure projects also have a stimulus effect in the economy and they are very likely to increase employment, not just for short term construction purposes but also for the longer term, as infrastructure facilities are believed to draw more companies in their areas. Following a demand-side approach, it can also be said that infrastructure projects create a demand for skilled labour and intermediary materials to be used as inputs. Responding to this demand, initiatives such as labour training or local production of intermediary materials can be undertaken, which will further benefit the economy in the long term.

International Migration in the OIC Member Countries
International migration represents any cross border movement by people from one country to another as a result of various factors. Historically, the migratory flows exhibited distinct patterns throughout the decades. Between the mid-19th century and start of World War I, the new world received mass flows of voluntary migration due to increasing welfare, affordable transport costs, and colonial connections between countries (from Europe to new world).
Developments in Financial Regulation and Supervision in OIC Member Countries: A Comparative Look at the Course of Global Financial Crisis

Based on the World Bank’s Bank Regulation and Supervision Survey, this OIC Outlook Report explores mainly two questions. First, were there significant differences in regulation and supervision between OIC and crisis countries? Second, what aspects of regulation and supervision did change significantly during the crisis period? These specific questions are being asked in the widely argued context of why OIC countries, like many other developing countries, fared better and remained relatively unscathed during and in the aftermath of the recent global financial crisis.

Early Childhood Care and Education in OIC Member Countries

The term Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE), has been used by UNESCO to refer to all organized developmental services for children during the period from birth until a child enters primary education, which is age 6 or 7 in most countries. The World Bank estimates that around 13% of the world total population is between the ages of 0-6 and 30% of this population live in OIC member countries. ECCE programmes address different age groups ranging from infancy, preschool, kindergarten to early primary grades. Early Childhood Care Programmes are generally for children under age 3 (under-3s) and supervised by ministries of health and/or social affairs. Early Childhood Education Programmes are mostly for children over age 3 (over-3s) and governed by ministries of education. The former is found in around half of the countries in the world, while the latter is existent in all (UNESCO, 2008). Duration of each programme varies by country. Overall, ECCE services are holistic in approach and include various programmes in basically three areas: 1) health, nutrition, hygiene 2) cognitive, social, emotional and physical development; and 3) social protection.