Comparing business regulation in 181 economies. Doing Business 2009 is the sixth in a series of annual reports comparing business regulations in 181 economies. Doing Business 2009 measures regulations affecting 10 areas of everyday business: Starting a business - steps, time, cost, and minimum...

Regulations affecting 10 areas of everyday business are measured: starting a business, dealing with licenses, employing workers, registering property, getting credit, protecting investors, paying taxes, trading across borders, enforcing contracts, and closing a business. Doing Business 2008...

"This paper uses micro data from the Indonesian Census of Manufacturing to analyze the causal relationship between foreign ownership and plant productivity. To control for the possible endogeneity of the FDI decision, the difference in differences approach is combined with a matching technique....

"The authors examine the determinants of entry by foreign firms using information on 515 Chinese industries at the provincial level during 1998-2001. The analysis, rooted in the new economic geography, focuses on market and supplier access within and outside the province of entry, as well as...

Azerbaijan's early transition to an independent, market-based economy has been tumultuous, entailing significant economic costs, and social impacts. Yet, unlike many transition economies, sound economic reforms since 1995, have enabled the country to achieve macroeconomic stability, and resume...

Azerbaijan's early transition to an independent, market-based economy has been tumultuous, entailing significant economic costs, and social impacts. Yet, unlike many transition economies, sound economic reforms since 1995, have enabled the country to achieve macroeconomic stability, and resume...

This investment climate assessment is part of a series of analytical works on prepared by the World Bank with the aim of laying out the basis for the elaboration of the Bank's country assistance strategy for the country. It is based on three pieces of work undertaken in parallel in Algeria...

Differences in the investment climate have recently gained centre stage in explaining variations in competitiveness, growth and prosperity across countries or regions. The investment climate comprises institutional and policy variables that have a crucial bearing on business performance, but...