Peer Review as a Tool for Co-Operation and Change

Peer review can be described as the systematic examination and assessment of the performance of a state by other states, with the ultimate goal of helping the reviewed state improve its policy making, adopt best practices and comply with established standards and principles. This paper examines the practice of peer review and the related effect of peer pressure in the context of international organisations, particularly the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). It outlines the main features of these two concepts and attempts to establish a model based on the different peer review mechanisms used at the OECD.