2017年-世界发展银行全球_Economy_Profile_of_Bahrain_63页_1mb

Doing Business 2018: Reforming to Create Jobs Summary

Core Content Overview

The Doing Business 2018 report, published by the World Bank Group, evaluates the regulatory environment for businesses in 190 economies, focusing on how reforms can drive job creation. It provides objective, quantitative indicators to assess and compare the ease of doing business across countries and over time. The report emphasizes the importance of improving business regulations to foster economic growth and employment opportunities.

Key Indicators Covered

The report includes the following indicators, which are essential for evaluating the business environment:

• 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
• Labor market regulation

These indicators are designed to measure the procedures, time, cost, and quality of regulatory systems that affect businesses.

Main Points of the Report

1. Doing Business Project Overview

• Launched in 2002, the project assesses the regulatory environment for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across 190 economies.
• It uses a standardized case scenario to ensure data comparability.
• The report does not rank economies on labor market regulation indicators, but it provides detailed data for these areas.
• It includes subnational reports for selected cities, allowing for local comparisons and reform recommendations.

2. Distance to Frontier (DTF) Measure

• DTF is a score from 0 to 100, where 0 is the lowest performance and 100 is the best.
• The ease of doing business ranking is based on the DTF scores, with 1 being the best and 190 the worst.
• The DTF score for each indicator is the average of the component scores.

3. Standardized Business and Construction Cases

• Starting a Business: A 100% domestically owned limited liability company (WLL) with five owners, no legal entities, and a paid-in minimum capital of 10 times the income per capita.
• Dealing with Construction Permits: A warehouse of approximately 1,300.6 square meters, valued at 50 times the income per capita, built by a limited liability company with a licensed architect and engineer.

Bahrain Economy Profile

• Country: Bahrain
• Region: Middle East & North Africa
• Income Category: High income
• Population: 1,425,171
• GNI per Capita: US$22,858
• City Covered: Manama
• Ease of Doing Business Rank: 42nd (2018)
• Distance to Frontier (DTF): 36.3

Starting a Business in Bahrain

Procedures

• Men: 7 procedures
• Women: 8 procedures (includes obtaining husband's approval to leave home)

Time

• Men: 9 days
• Women: 10 days

Cost

• Men: 1.0% of income per capita
• Women: 1.0% of income per capita
• Paid-in Minimum Capital: 2.9% of income per capita (BHD 250)

Key Procedures

1. Obtain husband's approval to leave home (women only)
2. Draft standard Memorandum of Association and obtain preliminary approval from the Ministry of Commerce
3. Obtain lease approval from the Municipality
4. Notarize Memorandum of Association
5. Open an account at the bank and obtain proof of deposit of capital
6. Obtain Certificate of Registration from Ministry of Commerce
7. Publish the incorporation notice in the Official Gazette
8. Register the company and employees with the General Organisation for Social Insurance (GOSI)

Notes

• Online procedures are counted as 0.5 days.
• For economies with different procedures for men and women, the report reflects the time for women.
• The DTF score for the "Starting a Business" indicator is the average of all component scores.

Dealing with Construction Permits in Bahrain

Procedures

• 11 procedures in total

Time

• 174 days

Cost

• 3.7% of warehouse value (BHD 429,739.00)

Building Quality Control Index

• Score: 12.0 (out of 15)
• Includes quality of building regulations, quality control during and after construction, liability and insurance regimes, and professional certifications.

Key Procedures

1. Hire an external certified consultant to obtain the building permit and supervise construction
2. Obtain inquiry information certificate
3. Obtain Road Level Certificate
4. Obtain land survey from a private consultant
5. Obtain final building permit
6. Request and receive final inspection from Civil Defense
7. Receive final inspection from the Municipality
8. Obtain certificate of completion from the Municipality
9. Obtain Address Certificate
10. Obtain water connection
11. Obtain sewage connection

Notes

• The one-stop shop (OSS) introduced a single application form in 2008, streamlining the process.
• Approval from the Electricity Directorate is now done conjointly with the inquiry information certificate.
• The cost of permits and inspections includes fees for permit, insurance, sign board, garbage container, and stamps.
• The report highlights the need for reforms in the fee structure and approval process for land surveys.

Conclusion

The Doing Business 2018 report serves as a valuable resource for policymakers, businesses, and researchers to understand and improve the regulatory environment. In Bahrain, the report indicates that the process of starting a business and dealing with construction permits is relatively efficient compared to other economies in the region, but there is room for improvement, especially in areas such as land survey approvals and transparency in fees. The standardized approach allows for meaningful cross-country comparisons and highlights the importance of regulatory reforms in creating a more conducive business climate.