Doing Business 2013: Smarter Regulations for Small and Medium-Size Enterprises

Tenth in a series of annual reports comparing business regulation in 185 economies, Doing Business 2013 measures regulations affecting 11 areas of everyday business activity:

¿ Starting a business
¿ Dealing with construction permits
¿ Getting electricity
¿ Registering property
¿ Getting credit
¿ Protecting investors
¿ Paying taxes
¿ Trading across borders
¿ Enforcing contracts
¿ Closing a business
¿ Employing workers

The report updates all indicators as of June 1, 2012, ranks economies on their overall “ease of doing business”, and analyzes reforms to business regulation – identifying which economies are strengthening their business environment the most.

The Doing Business reports illustrate how reforms in business regulations are being used to analyze economic outcomes for domestic entrepreneurs and for the wider economy.

This year marks the tenth anniversary of the global Doing Business report. Doing Business is a flagship product by the World Bank and IFC that garners worldwide attention on regulatory barriers to entrepreneurship. More than 60 economies use the Doing Business indicators to shape reform agendas and monitor improvements on the ground. In addition, the Doing Business data has generated over 870 articles in peer-reviewed academic journals since its inception.

This year's report includes two new economies: Barbados and Malta.

“The Doing Business report, which was started in 2003, has become one of the key ways in which the bank and other observers gauge business climate within developing countries...”
-- The Financial Times

“[Doing Business started] as a way to encourage countries to reduce obstacles to entrepreneurship. Developing countries compete to land a spot on the top 10 list of most-improving countries because it is seen as a way to get attention and investment.”
-- The Wall Street Journal

“[Doing Business] has succeeded in putting the issue of business red tape on the international political agenda.”
-- The Economist