A literature review shows that competition policy reforms allow markets to work more efficiently for the benefit of consumers and drive sustainable economic growth. Three main insights emerge: Greater market competition matters for achieving greater innovation, productivity, and economic growth....

Tax rates and the administrative costs of tax compliance are key concerns of business. Studies within and across countries suggest that lowering corporate tax rates can increase investment, reduce tax evasion by formal firms, promote the creation of formal firms, and ultimately raise sales and...

Alternative dispute resolution can help the justice system in a country function more efficiently. It often saves costs and time and increases user satisfaction. For cases that go back to court, however, the total cost and time may increase. Alternative dispute resolution can also have indirect...

The 2008 financial crisis and consequent rise in corporate insolvencies highlight the clear need for efficient bankruptcy systems to liquidate unviable firms and reorganize viable ones and to do so in a way that maximizes the proceeds for creditors, shareholders, employees, and other...

Business opportunities-as reflected in the size and growth potential of markets-are the most powerful drivers of foreign direct investment. But investment climate features such as strong institutions and investor friendly regulations also matter and may even boost the development impact of the...

Oil prices more than tripled between January 2004 and March 2008. The effects can be hard on countries with large net oil imports relative to income. This note sets out a measure of vulnerability to oil price shocks and breaks it down into its components. That allows cross-country benchmarking...

A recent study examining privatization results in four Sub-Saharan African countries yielded two broad conclusions: First, privatization is not easy to do, and getting it right can be tough in low-income countries. Second, if privatization is done right and there is a little luck, it can lead to...

This note is about reform teams.They belong to an exclusive group of economies that grew out of poverty in less than 30 years. They also initially relied on a small, dedicated team of experts to get the job done. These teams brought to bear world-class skills along with direct access to the top...

This note is based on a World Bank Group database that uses transaction values as a proxy for measuring privatization trends. It includes only the values resulting from the full or partial sale, concession, lease, or initial public offering of existing state owned enterprises or other government...

The World Bank Group Entrepreneurship Survey continues to extend our knowledge of the importance of entrepreneurship for a dynamic economy. In its second year, with more countries participating, the survey again shows a strong relationship between entrepreneurship, the business environment, and...