Global

Secured Lending Program - Easing Access to Credit (english version)

Collateral facilitates credit by reducing the potential loss lenders face from non-payment. While land and buildings are widely accepted as collateral for loans, the use of movable collateral is restricted by absent or ill functioning secured lending laws and registries. Reforming the moveable collateral framework thus enables businesses to leverage the greatest part of their assets and obtain credit for growth.

Trade Logistics Advisory Program: Easing Access to Markets (May 2008)

Our mission is to reduce the total time and cost to trade in developing countries by helping them build efficient trade logistics systems and services. The Trade Logistics Advisory Program is the first to operationalize the Doing Business “Trading Across Borders” indicators. In addition to catalyzing quick wins, the program generates deeper systemic reforms.

Competition Policy and Promotion of Investment, Economic Growth and Poverty Alleviation in Least Developed Countries (October 2007)

Competition between firms for customers can enhance both economic efficiency and consumer welfare. Yet the process of competition is not automatic. Even when economic reforms are put in place to ensure a pro-competitive business environment, the benefits of a strong market economy and the interests of consumers can be thwarted by anti-competitive business practices.

Moving Toward Competitiveness: A Value-Chain Approach (August 2007)

Moving Towards Competitiveness: A Value Chain Approach offers a practical and targeted approach to prioritize and address key policy and institutional constraints in the business environment that affect growth and competitiveness of firms in emerging economies. A strong positive business environment supported by sound policies and institutions is critical for private firms to grow, create new jobs and effectively function in global markets. The report offers practical tips and tools for practitioners working on value chains and the business environment, with insights on the use of metrics such as cost, time, value added and productivity. Drawing on case studies, the report gives useful policy insights underlying issues in the factor and product markets.

Investment Promotion Agency Performance Review 2006: Providing Information to Investors (October 2006)

The study’s results reflect a wide spectrum of performance. There were encouraging performances by some IPAs in nearly all developing regions, although all regions still lagged behind global best practices. The developing-economy IPAs scored considerably better in the web site assessment than in the two inquiry-handling exercises. Overall, the results suggest that at least half of the surveyed developing-economy IPAs are not yet providing the levels of service and information that investors expect. Most would benefit from a focus on improving both the systems and skills used in interfacing with investors and the quantity and quality of information provided. This publication discusses the study’s context, methodology and results, which are presented on a regional, rather than individual-IPA basis. It outlines industry standards of quality that may be particularly useful for IPAs in building their service operations.

Reforming Inspections: Countering Corruption and Waste (June 2006)

Government inspections of firms are important for enforcing regulations to protect public health, safety, and the environment and to carry out economic functions such as tax collection and banking regulation. But most inspection regimes in developing countries impose excessive costs on firms while failing dismally to prevent accidents or mitigate losses from disasters. There is a strong interest in models of reform that will reduce the burden of government inspections while improving standards. This Note offers solutions that do both.