The objectives of this note are identifying the fiscal implications and the shortcomings of the corporate governance of the SOE sector through an initial stock taking of the sector. This policy note first presents a description of the SOE sector in Lesotho, analyzing its scope, size, performance...

Drawing from the presidential review commission review, and from other available materials, this background note for the South Africa systematic country diagnostic synthesizes the key issues and recommendations for improving state-owned enterprise (SOE) performance, focusing on the largest...

This Technical Note assesses the corporate governance of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in Azerbaijan with a view to supporting the government's efforts to bolster economic development. Mutually reinforcing recommendations are closely linked and aim to increase accountability across the whole...

A large sector of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) is well known as the hallmark of the Chinese economy. But exactly how much do they contribute to the country's gross domestic product (GDP) and employment? Since available statistics do not provide a straightforward answer, this note attempts to...

State-owned enterprises play an important role in economic growth and the delivery of critical public services such as health, education, water, and energy. The underperformance of state-owned enterprises can lead to significant challenges in overall national growth and competitiveness and pose...

Zimbabwe is at a critical juncture. After dollarization and favorable economic factors fueled arecovery during 2009-12, Zimbabwe today faces slowing growth, a financial crisis, increasingly erratic weather patterns and rising poverty and inequality. To help respond to these issues, the...

A void in the literature on the business environment is how it evolves over time. Focusing on China during its crucial two decades of transition (from the early 1990s to the early 2010s), this paper documents how the country's business environment and the characteristics of entrepreneurs...