2013年-世界发展银行全球_Doing_Business_2014_Economy_Profile___Lesotho_106页_1mb

Summary of Doing Business 2014: Lesotho

Core Content

The Doing Business 2014 report provides a comprehensive analysis of the business environment in Lesotho, focusing on regulations that affect small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). It evaluates 11 key areas of business regulation and offers insights into the ease of doing business, based on a global ranking of 189 economies. The report also includes a distance to frontier (DTF) measure, which indicates how far an economy is from the best practices in each area.

Main Indicators and Rankings

Key Information

• Economic Overview:

  • Region: Sub-Saharan Africa
  • Income Category: Lower middle income
  • Population: 2,051,545
  • GNI per capita (US$): 1,380
  • DB2014 Rank: 136
  • DB2013 Rank: 139 (adjusted for data corrections and inclusion of new economies)
  • Change in Rank: +3
  • DTF (Distance to Frontier): 56.81 (DB2014), 55.23 (DB2013)
  • Change in DTF: +1.61

• Global Comparisons:

  • Lesotho ranks 89th globally in the ease of starting a business.
  • It is 136th in the ease of getting electricity.
  • 88th in the ease of registering property.
  • 159th in the ease of getting credit.
  • 98th in the protection of investors.
  • 101st in the ease of paying taxes.
  • 144th in the ease of enforcing contracts.
  • 104th in the ease of resolving insolvency.
  • 144th in the ease of trading across borders.

• Business Regulations:

  • Procedures: 7 procedures required to start a business.
  • Time: 29 days.
  • Cost: 11.4% of income per capita.
  • Paid-in Minimum Capital: 0.0% of income per capita (no requirement).

• DTF Analysis:

  • The DTF measure shows how far an economy is from the best practices in each area.
  • It is calculated as the average distance from the best performance in each of the 10 indicators (excluding getting electricity, introduced in 2009).
  • The DTF for Lesotho increased slightly from 55.23 in DB2013 to 56.81 in DB2014.

Main Points and Findings

• Ease of Doing Business:

  • Lesotho's ranking improved slightly from 139 to 136, indicating a modest improvement in its regulatory environment.
  • The DTF increased by 1.61, suggesting some progress in aligning with best practices, although there is still room for improvement.

• Starting a Business:

  • The process requires 7 procedures, takes 29 days, and costs 11.4% of income per capita.
  • Lesotho eliminated the paid-in minimum capital requirement and notarization of articles of association in 2013, making it easier for entrepreneurs to start a business.
  • The procedures are streamlined with a one-stop shop system, reducing the number of days required for registration.

• Comparative Insights:

  • Lesotho performs better than some comparator economies (e.g., Angola, Namibia) but lags behind others (e.g., Botswana, South Africa).
  • The best performer in starting a business is New Zealand, which has only 1 procedure, takes 0.5 days, and costs 0.0% of income per capita.

• Methodology:

  • The report uses standardized assumptions for data collection, including a private limited company in the largest business city (Maseru), with no paid-in minimum capital.
  • It does not include bribes, professional fees, or prior contact with officials in its cost and time calculations.
  • The DTF measure is normalized between 0 and 100, with 100 representing the most efficient practices.

Business Registration Reforms in Lesotho

• DB2009: One-stop shop reforms simplified the business registration process and reduced the number of days required.
• DB2013: Lesotho made significant reforms by eliminating the paid-in minimum capital requirement and notarization of articles of association, improving the ease of starting a business.
• DB2014: No further reforms were recorded.

Conclusion

The Doing Business 2014 report highlights that while Lesotho has made some progress in improving its regulatory environment, particularly in the area of starting a business, it still faces significant challenges in other areas such as getting electricity, registering property, and protecting investors. The report provides a valuable tool for policymakers to identify areas for reform and benchmark their performance against other economies.