The Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development is a Europe-based think tank that focuses on promoting democracy and free-market policy theories. It publishes a variety of statistics and research on subjects such as good government, trade, education, employment, and technology, among others. The OECD is headquartered in Paris and is made up of 30 countries. Those countries are Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, U.K., and the U.S.

The OECD began after World War II in order to administer U.S. and Canadian aid under the Marshall Plan. It originally was called the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation (OEEC). The OECD took over from the OEEC in 1961. The OECD increasingly is turning its attention to emerging market economies.