Austria's Economy in 2002: Another Year of Slow Growth

In the OECD countries, the recovery from the slump of 2001 was slow and painful. According to preliminary figures, these countries managed a growth in GDP of 1.3 percent in 2002, compared to 0.8 percent in 2001. In view of the geopolitical vagaries of the second half of 2002, demand for investment, normally the driving force for growth, failed to take off. Faced with repeated downturns at the global stock exchanges, economic players were gloomy about the prospects for the world economy.