The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) /

The book's foreword correctly states that the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), although prominent in the literature of global governance, has been an elusive institution. It is to the credit of the Routledge "Global Institutions" series that 57 volumes either have been published or are in the works to remove the veil of inaccessibility that surrounds such institutions. The OECD was founded by 30 market-oriented governments in 1961 to replace the post-WW II Organization for European Economic Cooperation. Today the OECD is neither entirely European, nor an exclusive rich nations' club. Its members include South Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Turkey, Canada, and the US, in addition to 21 European countries. The organization is elastic in its ability to delve in a wide range of policy issues; although not a meeting of equals, it fosters significant international consensus and cooperation. Woodward (Univ. of Hull, UK) aptly claims that "a great advantage of the OECD is that it has no power but great influence." The organization has re-formed over the years, but sustainable economic growth has remained its preoccupation. Concise and well produced with a list of abbreviations, tables, figures, notes, and an index. Summing Up: Recommended. All readership levels. F. L. Mokhtari National Defense University