Tax rates and the administrative costs of tax compliance are key concerns of business. Studies within and across countries suggest that lowering corporate tax rates can increase investment, reduce tax evasion by formal firms, promote the creation of formal firms, and ultimately raise sales and...

This note is based on a World Bank Group database that uses transaction values as a proxy for measuring privatization trends. It includes only the values resulting from the full or partial sale, concession, lease, or initial public offering of existing state owned enterprises or other government...

An update of the World Bank Group's Privatization Database shows that privatization in developing countries continued to pick up in 2004 and 2005, with 400 transactions worth US$90 billion. Apart from 1997, the 2005 result in nominal terms is the highest since 1990 (when the data start)....

Drawing on the World Bank's Private Participation in Infrastructure Project Database, this Note reviews developments in the water and sewerage sector of developing countries in 2004 and changes in private participation in the sector since 2001. Data for 2004 show that total investment in water...

In 1988, Chile put in place a new regulatory regime for water and sanitation, allowing rates to reflect the actual cost of providing services. The government then reorganized the sector under 13 state-owned regional water companies and, in 1998, started to partially privatize some of them. Four...

Investment flows to infrastructure projects with private participation in developing countries grew by 12 percent to US$64 billion in 2004. Telecommunications investments drove the growth, rising by 35 percent, while investment flows to other infrastructure sectors fell by 20 percent. Greenfield...

In recent years the renegotiation and, even more, the cancellation of private infrastructure projects in developing countries have made the headlines in the world's financial press. For a variety of reasons the renegotiation of projects is not an unusual occurrence. But as this Note explains,...

Drawing on the World Bank's private participation in infrastructure project database, this note reviews developments in 2001 and summarizes trends in 1990-2001. Data for 2001 show that total investment in projects with private participation was US$57 billion back to 1995 levels and 150 projects...

Drawing on the World Bank's Private Participation in Infrastructure Project Database, this Note provides an overview of private activity in infrastructure in developing countries between 1990 and 2000. Three main trends characterized that decade: Private activity in infrastructure grew each year...

This note, based on the World Bank's Private Participation in Infrastructure (PPI) project database, reviews trends in infrastructure projects with private participation in low-income countries. Four main conclusions arise. Surprisingly, the proportion of countries with at least one project -...