The World Bank’s ease of doing business index incentives countries to do whatever they can to improve their ranking.
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Allegations that World Bank officials manipulated country rankings in its much-used ease of doing business index highlight a deeper problem with these types of rankings.
Citrus orchards in South Africa. Kenyans buying South African oranges pay a heavy price due to import duties.
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The African Continental Free Trade Area is the largest in the world. The World Bank sees it as a means of lifting 30 million people out of extreme poverty. But will it?
High entry costs for business are strongly correlated with the size of the unofficial economy.
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Indonesia’s shadow economy – a range of activities not included in the national accounts –
is keeping the country back from reaching its tax revenue potential.
New Zealand is one of the easiest places to do business.
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Siah Hwee Ang, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
While New Zealand leads the world in how easy it is to register a business, government regulation makes it expensive and time consuming to trade internationally.
Professor of International Business Strategy & Emerging Markets at the University of Sussex Business School, and the Graduate School of Business, University of Cape Town