Browse By

• Re-thinking the Approach to Informal Businesses: Typologies, Evidence and Future Exploration, WBG 2020
• Business Environment Reform Guidelines, EC 2020
• The Business Environment Reform Facility 2016-2018
• Compendium of Evidence on Innovation Policy, Universty of Manchester, 2012
• World Development Report 2017 - Governance and the Law
• Business Environment Reform and Poverty: Rapid Evidence Assessment, DFID, October 2015.
• Business Environment Reform and Investment Promotion and Facilitation: Rapid Evidence Assessment, DFID, October 2015
• Is there a causal link between the investment climate and growth? A review of the evidence, LASER, June 2015
• Leveraging the Impact of Business Environment Reform: The Contribution of Quality Infrastructure. Lessons from Practice, DCED Working Paper, 2014/ updated 2015
• Alternative Dispute Resolution for Businesses in Developing Countries, Brian Lucas, GSDRC Helpdesk Research Report, 2014
• Learning dynamics and support for economic reforms: why good news can be bad, World Bank, 2014
• Regulatory reform for closing Africa's competitiveness gap, by Ioannis Kessides, UNU-WIDER
• 'Too Small to Regulate', Basu and Dixit, World Bank Working Paper, 2014
• 'The Impact of Competition Policy on Productivity Growth' Presentation, Paolo Buccirossi, World Bank, 2014
• Enterprise formalization - Fact or fiction? A quest for case studies, ILO and GIZ, 2014
• Aiding institutional reforms in developing countries. Lessons from the Philippines on what works, what doesn't and why, by David Booth, ODI, 2014.
• 'Why Does Competition Matter for Development?' Presentation, Tania Begazo, World Bank, 2014
• 'Measuring the impact of antitrust enforcement' Presentation, Stephen Davies and Peter Ormosi, World Bank, 2014
• Informality, Growth and Development in Africa, Nancy Benjamin and Ahmadou Aly Mbaye, UNU-WIDER, 2014
• The Impact of Business Environment on Small and Medium Enterprise, Rocha, 2014
• Customs, brokers and informal sectors: A Cameroon case stuy, Thomas Cantens et al., World Bank Policy Research Working Paper, 2014
• Informal Firms and Financial Inclusion, by Subika Farazi, World Bank Policy Research Working Paper, February 2014
• Getting down to business: Strengthening Economies through Business Registration Reforms, IFC Smart Lesson, December 2013
• Stunted growth: Why don’t African firms create more jobs?, World Bank Policy Research Working Paper, 2013
• What works for market development: A review of the evidence, Sinha, Holmberg and Thomas, Sida, 2013
• Enabling environments for agribusiness and agro-industries development. Regional and country perspectives, FAO, 2013
• The effects of country risk and conflict on infrastructure PPPs, by Gonzala Araya et. al., World Bank Policy Research Working Paper, 2013
• Political economy analysis for economic and private sector reforms, Sumedh Rao, GSDRC, 2013
• Strategic Industrial Policy and Business Environment Reform: Are they Compatible? John Weiss, DCED, 2013
• Guidelines for reducing municipal red tape. How municipalities can improve service delivery that supports small business, DTI, 2013
• The Dynamics of Economic Growth: A Visual Handbook of Growth Rates, Regimes, Transitions and Volatility, ESID, 2013
• What drives the dynamics of business growth? Bravo-Biosca, A., C. Criscuolo and C. Menon, OECD, 2013
• Trade Costs: What Have We Learned? A Synthesis Report, Moïsé, E. and F. Le Bris, OECD, 2013
• Estimating the Constraints to Agricultural Trade of Developing Countries, Moïsé, E et al, 2013
• Corruption and the Private Sector. A review of issues, Gonzalo F. Forgues-Puccio, EPS PEAKS, 2013
• Assessing Private Sector Contributions to Job Creation and Poverty Reduction, IFC, 2013
• Implementing Energy Subsidy Reforms: Evidence from Developing Countries, Maria Vagliasindi, World Bank, 2012
• Economic Governance: Improving the economic and regulatory environment for supporting private sector activity, Colin Kirkpatrick, 2012
• Top ten entries, in terms of total page views since January 2010
• Top ten entries, in terms of page views in September 2012
• Systems Change in the Business Enabling Environment. Investment Climate Practice Note, Miguel Laric, DFID, 2012
• Toolkits for Business Environment Reform Projects (last update: 2012)
• Selected links to other Business Environment sites
• The Political Dynamics of Economic Growth, Kunal Sen, 2012
• New opportunities related to the Business Environment
• Bibliography of Key Readings on Political Economy Analysis (The Policy Practice), 2011
• Review of Donor-Supported Business Environment Reform Practices in Bangladesh, DCED, 2011
• 51 Lessons for Donor and Development Agency Support to Business Environment Reforms, Results of Country-Level Reviews, Simon White/DCED, 2011
• Review of Donor-Supported Business Environment Reform Practices in Rwanda, DCED, 2011
• Information Economy Report 2011: ICTs as an Enabler for Private Sector Development, 2011
• Annex to the Practical Guidance on Supporting Business Environment Reforms: How Business Environment Reform Can Promote Formalisation, DCED, 2011
• Forthcoming events in BE
• The Political Economy of Business Environment Reform: An Introduction for Practitioners, Peter Davis/ DCED, 2011
• Reform Toolkit: Making the most of public-private dialogue. An advocacy approach, CIPE, 2011
• Review of Donor-Supported Business Environment Reform Practices in Kenya, DCED, 2010
• Cape Town Conference: Informality and the World Bank Group Entrepreneurship Survey, 2010 (A. Mikhnev, Day 2, Afternoon Session)
• Cape Town Conference: Business Environment and Informality, 2010 (J. Daly and M. Spence, Day 2, Afternoon Session)
• Cape Town Conference: Bolivian Legal and Extra Legal Economy, 2010 (J. Durán Guillén, Day 2, Panel Session)
• Cape Town Conference: Legislative Reform and the Informal Economy (in South Africa), ILO, 2010 (V. van Vuuren, Day 2, Afternoon Session)
• Cape Town Conference: Baseline Survey of Female Entrepreneurs in Tanzania , Equalilty for Growth, 2009 (J. Magigita, Day 2, Afternoon Session)
• Cape Town Conference: How Access To Finance Can Promote Formalisation, 2009 (A. Smith, Day 2, Afternoon Session)
• Cape Town Conference: Experiences of Business Environment Reform and Informality in Russia and Indonesia, Swisscontact, 2010 (M. Sulzer, Day 2, Afternoon Session)
• Cape Town Conference: Reducing Red Tape: A facilitation and management manual, 2010 (M. Wegmann, Day 2, Fishbowl 4)
• Cape Town Conference: Cooperatives as a Practical Option for Formalisation, 2010 (S. Mshiu, Day 2, Afternoon Session)
• Cape Town Conference: Tax Compliance, WB/ IFC, 2010 (J. Coolidge, Day 2, Fishbowl 3)
• Cape Town Conference: Other Resources Related to BER and the Informal Economy, 2010
• Donor Committee Conference: Business Environment Reform and the Informal Economy, Cape Town, South Africa, 12-15 April 2010
• Cape Town Conference: Background Material for 'Regulating Informal Enterprises in the City of Cape Town' Study Tour, 2010
• Cape Town Conference: World Bank, 2010, Turkey - Informality: Causes, Consequences and Policies (K. Karakurum-Ozdemir, Day 2, Afternoon Session)
• Business Climate Legal and Institutional Reform: USAID BizCLIR, 2010
• Le soutien aux réformes de l'environnement des enterprises : guide pratique pour les agences de développement, CDDE (DCED), 2008
• Cape Town Conference: Unorganized Manufacturing in India, World Bank, 2009 (A. Narain, Day 2, Fishbowl 4)
• Business Environment Reforms and the Informal Economy, Zinnes/DCED, 2009
• Cape Town Conference: Business Environment Reform and Informal Women Entrepreneurs in Ghana, 2009 (A. Hampel-Milgrosa, Day 2, Afternoon Session)
• Rough Guide to Investment Climate Reform in Conflict-Affected Countries, IFC, 2009
• Cape Town Conference: Is There Demand for Formality Among Informal Firms?: Evidence from Microfirms in Downtown Lima, 2009 (M. Jaramillo, Day 2, Fishbowl 2)
• The Impact of the Business Environment on the Business Creation Process, Klapper at al, May 2009
• Competition and Development, IDRC, 2008
• Supporting Business Environment Reform. Practical Guidance for Donor and Development Agencies, DCED, 2008
• Local Economic Development (LED) - some key links, 2005-8
• The Social and Ecological Market Economy - A Model for Asian Development?, GTZ 2008
• Doing Business: An Independent Evaluation - Taking measure of the World Bank-IFC Doing Business Indicators, World Bank Independent Evaluation Group, 2008
• Cape Town Conference: Decent Work and the Transition to Formalization, 2008 (A. Berar Awad, Day 2, Fishbowl 3)
• Donor Committee Conference: African and global lessons for more effective donor practices, Accra, 5-7 November 2007 (English/French) and BE Donor Guidance
• Accra Conference 2007: Plenary Sessions
• Bangladesh Donor Mapping in PSD, 2006
• Building a Successful Regulatory System, World Bank links and papers, 2007
• Poverty Reduction through Small Enterprises, ILO 2006
• Donor Committee Conference: Asian and global lessons for more effective donor practices, Bangkok, 29 November to 1 December 2006
• Bangkok Conference: Plenary Sessions (2006)
• GTZ Conference: Local and Regional Economic Development in Asia, Vientiane, November 2006
• Bangkok Conference Session 1.3: Policy Frameworks for a Better Business Environment (2006)
• Bangkok Conference Session 2.4: Enhancing Trade and Investment through Better Business Environments (2006)
• Bangkok Conference Session 2.2: The Importance of Sub-National Reforms (2006)
• Bangkok Conference Session 4.4: The Role of Business Membership Organisations in Business Environment Reform (2006)
• Bangkok Conference Session 3.3: Focusing Reform Efforts (2006)
• Bangkok Conference Session 4.1: The Role of Multinational Enterprises in Business Environment Reform (2006)
• Conference: Private Sector Development and Peacebuilding - Exploring Local and International Perspectives, Berlin, September 2006
• GTZ Seminaire: Strategies d'innovation et promotion de l'economie regionale, 2006
• Strategies and Practices Toward a More Enabling Business and Investment Climate in Africa: Making Reforms Work, GTZ-Seminar, May 2006
• World Bank Group PSD Forum 2006
• Outcomes Newsletter, IFC, 2006
• Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises: A Collection of Published Data, 2006
• SDC SED Workshop on Reforming the Business Environment, Jan. 2006
• Enterprise Development and Microfinance Journal: Past and future issues (1990 - present)
• Enabling BE for Supporting Value Chain Development - Synthesis of Virtual Discussion, SDC 2005
• Donor Committee Conference: Reforming the Business Environment - from assessing problems to measuring results, Cairo, 29 November to 1 December 2005
• Promoting the Business and Investment Climate, GTZ, 2005
• How can research-based development interventions be more effective at influencing policy and practice? Duncan and Barnett, M4P, 2005
• Shaping an Enabling Business and Investment Climate in Asia: Making Reforms work, GTZ Seminar, 2005
• Mechanisms and Processes for Public-Private Sector Dialogue (PPD), Bannock/DFID, 2005
• Shaping Value Chains for Development: Global Value Chains in Agribusiness, GTZ, Humphrey 2005
• Shadow Economies of 145 Countries: Estimation Results 1999-2003
• Commission for Africa Report 2005
• Development Outreach: A Better Investment Climate for Everyone, WBI, March 2005
• Review of DFID Activities in the Enabling Environment, Dec, 2004
• IADB Proposed New Approach to Assisting SMEs in Latin America 2004
• Donor approaches to improving the business environment for small enterprises, White/Donor Committee, 2004
• BE and Firm Entry: Evidence from International Data, Klapper et all, 2004
• Improving the Business Climate in Partner Countries, Netherlands, 2004
• World Bank Viewpoint Note on SMEs, Growth, and Poverty, February 2004
• Looking at Microenterprises through the Competitiveness Lens, DAI, AMAP 2004
• Donor experiences in supporting reforms in the business environment, White and Chacaltana/Donor Committee, 2002
• The Case for Business Registration Reform in Latin America, Jansson & Chalmers, 2002
• Confronting the institutional obstacles to trade liberalisation and its benefits to SMEs, Zinnes and Azfar/IRIS, 2002
• Trade Liberalization: Winners and Losers, Successes and Failures: Implications for SMEs, Nugent/IRIS, 2002
• A literature review on the impact of the policy environment on the creation and improvement of jobs within small enterprises, Reinecke/ILO, 2002
• What difference does legal title make? Alan Gilbert, 2002
• U. of Manchester, Regulation, Competition and SMEs in Developing Countries, 2001
• ICTs and Enterprises in Developing Countries, Tanburn and Singh 2001

Synthesis documents cover multiple initiatives in various countries. They are provided here in various formats (guidelines, conference proceedings, multi-country studies etc.) We are also experimenting with inclusion of news about the Business Environment, particularly in the form of current BE-related vacancies. The format of this page will probably change over time, as more information becomes available, for example to have more sub-categories of document.