Author(s) : Tommaso Rooms Topic : Subnational Doing Business: Starting a Business, Dealing with Construction Permits, Getting Electricity, Registering Property, Getting Credit, Protecting Minority Investors, Paying Taxes, Trading Across Borders, Enforcing Contracts, Resolving Insolvency Short description : Excessive bureaucracy at any time is a burden on companies, and in the aftermath of the coronavirus crisis it is an additional hurdle that jeopardizes the ability of SMEs (Small to Medium Enterprises) to survive. A recent study, conducted in Italy before the crisis, highlights specific opportunities to cut red tape by replicating good practices already implemented locally. Local good practices present the advantage of not requiring major legislative overhaul to be adopted nationally, and they have already been successfully tested within the country. Doing Business in Italy measures how red tape affects SMEs in five areas , by looking at how easy or difficult it is for entrepreneurs to start a business, get construction permits, connect to the electricity grid, transfer land, and resolve commercial disputes through the courts in 13 cities.

Author(s) : Tommaso Rooms, Eugene Bempong Nyantakyi, Marilina Vieira Topic : Subnational Doing Business: Starting a Business, Dealing with Construction Permits, Registering Property, Enforcing Contracts Short description : Afghanistan is not exactly an easy place to undertake a rigorous study on the ease of doing business. And collecting primary data for a micro-based study in Kabul and several Afghan provinces can be a daunting task. Just how daunting is underscored by the fact that the country conducted its most recent census almost 40 years ago, in 1979. Vast tracts of the country remain unsafe and many of its provinces are inaccessible.

Author(s) : Marina Wes, Madalina Papahagi Topic : Subnational Doing Business: Starting a Business, Dealing with Construction Permits, Registering Property, Enforcing Contracts Short description : “Doing Business in Poland 2015” ranked all 18 voivodship capitals in Poland on the ease of doing business. And some of the results are surprising. Not one city is good at everything, and even some of the smaller cities are world-class in one or two areas. The findings of this study provide an opportunity for cities to learn from each other. Local governments and magistrates can use the report to see how they compare with the rest of the country and the rest of the world, learn what their better-performing peers are doing, and take steps to increase their competitiveness. Promoting convergence among regions and cities towards top performers and thus improving the ease of doing business in the whole country is a challenge worth taking – and will disproportionately benefit small firms.

Author(s) : Pilar Sanchez-Bella, Trimor Mici, Katherina Leris Topic : Starting a Business, Dealing with Construction Permits, Getting Electricity, Registering Property, Getting Credit, Protecting Minority Investors, Paying Taxes, Trading Across Borders, Enforcing Contracts, Resolving Insolvency Short description : Doing Business in Hargeisa 2012, which studies business regulation in Somaliland’s main economic center of Hargeisa, paints a fuller picture of the business environment that local entrepreneurs face. The report examines 11 areas of business regulation that affect the life cycle of local small and medium size firms Hargeisa would rank 174 on the ease of doing business compared to the 183 economies measured by Doing Business in 2012. But behind the aggregate ranking, Hargeisa’s performance varies from topic to topic.

Author(s) : Goran Amidzic Topic : Subnational Doing Business: Starting a Business, Dealing with Construction Permits, Registering Property, Enforcing Contracts Short description : Doing Business in South East Europe 2008 identified good practices, pointed out bottlenecks, and provided recommendations for business reforms beyond the region’s capital cities. Three years later, Doing Business in South East Europe 2011, analyzes the ease of doing business in 22 cities from 7 economies in South East Europe: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, FYR Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, and Serbia and tracks progress over time. The results are impressive.

Author(s) : Pilar Sanchez-Bella, Brice Richard Topic : Subnational Doing Business: Starting a Business, Dealing with Construction Permits, Registering Property, Getting Credit, Protecting Investors, Paying Taxes, Trading Across Borders, Enforcing Contracts, Closing a Business Short description : The lack of available quantitative and qualitative data poses a great challenge in conflict-affected and fragile countries. The “Doing Business in Juba 2011” report helps fill this gap by providing actionable, micro-level data on the business regulatory environment in Juba, the capital of Southern Sudan.