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Doing Business 2015

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Doing Business 2015

Going Beyond Efficiency

World Bank,

15 min read
10 take-aways
Audio & text

What's inside?

Doing global business has become easier, but some nations are still playing regulatory catch-up to foster growth.

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Editorial Rating

7

Qualities

  • Innovative
  • Overview
  • Background

Recommendation

The World Bank annually assesses the ways that business regulations affect economic growth in developed and developing economies and how those laws change over time. This report examines changes in contract enforcement, taxes and zoning in markets of all sizes and stages of development. Reforms and regulations governing business differ enormously among nations. Policy makers’ stance on an array of decisions – including credit reporting, protecting minority investors and even zoning – can influence businesses’ decisions to move to their jurisdictions. Corporations want nations to provide comprehensive, reliable, cohesive guidelines that support growth within a solid legal and regulatory framework. getAbstract recommends this overview to policy makers, investors, government officials and executives concerned about fostering economic expansion with effective business regulation and taxation policies.

Summary

Worldwide Business Regulation

Singapore tops the list of economies with the most business-friendly regulations, followed by New Zealand, Hong Kong, Denmark, South Korea, Norway, the United Sates and the United Kingdom. The top 20 economies are highly competitive globally. They don’t grant businesses free rein, yet they allow corporations to compete without excessive restrictions.

Since 2004, when the World Bank began reporting on national laws, the world’s countries collectively have introduced more than 2,400 regulations and reforms to accommodate business. The nations of Sub-Saharan Africa introduced a combined 39 regulatory reforms from June 2013 to June 2014, the largest number of policy improvements among the regions surveyed. Other areas launched a variety of improvements. For example, Tajikistan made construction permits less expensive, Trinidad and Tobago introduced new insolvency laws to protect secured creditor rights, and the United Arab Emirates established protections for shareholders, allowing them to challenge unfair transactions by related third parties.

Business regulations vary nationally, reflecting the “complexity and cost of regulatory processes...

About the Author

Established in 1944, the World Bank provides financial and technical assistance to developing countries. It works with member nations to fight global poverty.

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