2017年-世界发展银行全球_Economy_Profile_of_Liberia_66页_1mb

Summary of Doing Business 2018: Reforming to Create Jobs

Core Content

The Doing Business 2018 report is a World Bank Group flagship publication that provides objective measures of business regulations and their enforcement across 190 economies and selected cities. It focuses on the regulatory environment for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), aiming to encourage reforms that improve the ease of doing business and create jobs.

The report includes 11 indicator sets, which evaluate various aspects of business regulation, such as starting a business, dealing with construction permits, getting electricity, registering property, getting credit, protecting minority investors, paying taxes, trading across borders, enforcing contracts, and resolving insolvency. It also measures labor market regulation.

Each indicator provides a distance to frontier (DTF) score, which reflects how close an economy is to the best performance observed globally on that specific regulation. The DTF score ranges from 0 (lowest performance) to 100 (frontier performance). The ease of doing business ranking is derived from the DTF scores and ranges from 1 (best) to 190 (worst).

Key Indicators and Data for Liberia

1. Starting a Business

• Procedures: 5 for men, 5 for women
• Time: 6 days for men, 6 days for women
• Cost: 15.7% of income per capita
• Paid-in Minimum Capital: 0.0% of income per capita
• Ranking: 143rd
• DTF: 64.5
• Overall Best Performer: New Zealand (DTF: 100)

Procedure Details:

1. Reserve a unique company name: 1 day, LRD 1,400
2. Register at the Liberia Business Registry: 1 day (simultaneous with previous), no charge
3. Pay fees and obtain proof of payment: 1 day (simultaneous with previous), LRD 4,000
4. Receive the Business Registration Certificate: 2 days, LRD 4,000
5. Register with the National Association of Social Security: 1 day, no charge

2. Dealing with Construction Permits

• Procedures: 25
• Time: 87 days
• Cost: 39.1% of warehouse value
• Building Quality Control Index: 2.0
• Ranking: 133rd
• DTF: 60.5
• Overall Best Performer: Denmark (DTF: 14.8)

Procedure Details:

1. Obtain environmental clearance: 13 days, USD 1,125
2. Obtain a geo-technical study/soil test: 11 days, USD 788
3. Obtain a topographical survey of the land: 2 days, USD 725
4. Submit plans to Ministry of Public Works: 1 day, no charge
5. Receive inspection from the Ministry of Public Works (Zoning Division): 1 day, no charge
6. Obtain payment slip from the Ministry of Public Works: 1 day, USD 700
7. Obtain construction permit from the Ministry of Public Works: 28 days, no charge
8. Obtain construction clearance from the City Corporation of Monrovia: 2 days, USD 560
9. Receive inspection from the Ministry of Public Works - I: 1 day, no charge
10. Receive inspection from the Ministry of Public Works - II: 1 day, no charge
11. Receive inspection from the Ministry of Public Works - III: 1 day, no charge
12. Receive inspection from the Ministry of Public Works - IV: 1 day, no charge
13. Receive inspection from the Ministry of Public Works - V: 1 day, no charge
14. Receive inspection from the Ministry of Public Works - VI: 1 day, no charge
15. Receive inspection from the Ministry of Public Works - VII: 1 day, no charge
16. Receive inspection from the Ministry of Public Works - VIII: 1 day, no charge
17. Receive inspection from the Ministry of Public Works - IX: 1 day, no charge
18. Receive inspection from the Ministry of Public Works - X: 1 day, no charge
19. Receive inspection from the Ministry of Public Works - XI: 1 day, no charge
20. Receive inspection from the Ministry of Public Works - XII: 1 day, no charge
21. Install the septic tank: 1 day, no charge
22. Receive inspection from the Liberia Water and Sewer Corporation: 1 day, no charge
23. Obtain water connection: 1 day, no charge
24. Obtain sewer connection: 1 day, no charge
25. Register and sell the warehouse: 1 day, no charge

Main Points

• Comparative Data: The report provides a comparative analysis of business regulations across 190 economies, highlighting areas where reforms are needed to improve the business environment.
• Standardization: It uses standardized scenarios to ensure data comparability, including assumptions about the type of business, location, and procedures.
• Reforms: The report acknowledges that reforms have been implemented in some economies, such as reducing the processing time for simple building permits in Liberia from 3 months to 1 month.
• Weak Enforcement: Despite reforms, weak enforcement of building regulations remains a challenge in Liberia, often leading to private construction projects bypassing official guidelines.
• Gender Consideration: The report considers gender-specific procedures, noting that both men and women face the same number of procedures and similar time and cost requirements.
• Subnational Data: Liberia's data is based on its largest business city, Monrovia, and includes subnational reports for detailed analysis and reform recommendations.

Conclusion

The Doing Business 2018 report serves as a valuable resource for understanding the regulatory environment for SMEs in Liberia and comparing it with other economies. While Liberia has made some progress in reforming its business regulations, there is still significant room for improvement, particularly in the areas of construction permits and enforcement. The report encourages further reforms to enhance the ease of doing business and support job creation.