2017年-世界发展银行全球_Region_Profile_of_Arab_World_77页_1mb

Summary of Doing Business 2018: Arab World Region Profile

Core Content

The Doing Business 2018 report, published by the World Bank Group, evaluates the regulatory environment for businesses in 190 economies and selected cities, focusing on 11 key indicators that measure the ease of doing business. The report provides objective data to help economies improve their business regulations and encourages reform by offering benchmarks and insights.

Key Indicators and Their Measurement

Methodology and Assumptions

• Standardized Case Studies: The report uses standardized assumptions for each indicator to ensure comparability across economies.
• Data Collection: The most recent data was collected in June 2017.
• Assumptions for the Business:
  • A limited liability company (LLC) with 5 owners (all individuals, not legal entities).
  • The LLC operates in the largest business city of the economy, or the second largest for 11 large economies.
  • The business has a start-up capital of 10 times income per capita and employs 10–50 domestic nationals.
  • The business engages in general industrial or commercial activities and does not handle special goods or use polluting processes.
  • The company deed is 10 pages long.
• Assumptions for the Owners:
  • All owners are adults, married, and have no criminal record.
  • They are assumed to be sane, competent, and in good health.
• Assumptions for the Warehouse:
  • A two-story building with a total area of 1,300.6 square meters.
  • The warehouse is used for general storage and is located in a periurban commercial zone.
  • The construction company (BuildCo) is a local LLC with a licensed architect and engineer.
• Assumptions for the Electricity Connection:
  • A permanent three-phase electricity connection with a capacity of 140 kVA.
  • The connection is to a low- or medium-voltage network and involves crossing a 10-meter road.
  • Internal wiring is already installed up to the customer's service panel.
• Assumptions for the Property Transfer:
  • The property is fully owned, registered, and free of title disputes.
  • It includes land and a building with no occupants or legal interests from other parties.
  • The value of the property is 50 times income per capita.

Arab World Performance Overview

• The report provides global rankings for the Arab World on each of the 11 indicators, with the average ranking and regional average serving as useful benchmarks.
• Distance to Frontier (DTF) scores are used to measure how close an economy is to the best practices observed globally. A score of 0 indicates the lowest performance, while 100 represents the frontier.
• Key Metrics:
  • Procedures: The number of steps required to complete a task.
  • Time: Measured in calendar days, excluding time spent gathering information.
  • Cost: Expressed as a percentage of income per capita or as a percentage of the value of the warehouse or property.

Main Findings and Insights

• The Arab World generally faces challenges in business regulation, particularly in areas such as starting a business, getting credit, and resolving insolvency.
• Starting a business is often a complex process with multiple procedures, time, and cost involved, especially for women-owned businesses.
• Construction permits and electricity access are also areas of difficulty, with high numbers of procedures and significant time and cost requirements.
• Property registration can be slow and costly, with varying levels of transparency and efficiency in land administration systems.
• Credit availability is influenced by the strength of credit reporting systems and the effectiveness of collateral laws.
• Minority investor protection is a concern in many Arab economies, with limited rights in corporate governance and related-party transactions.
• Tax compliance is generally burdensome, with high total tax rates and lengthy processes.
• Cross-border trade is often hindered by high costs and time, which can affect economic growth.
• Contract enforcement and insolvency resolution are areas where legal frameworks may be weak, leading to longer resolution times and lower recovery rates.

Conclusion

The Doing Business 2018 report serves as a valuable tool for policymakers, academics, and the private sector to understand and improve the regulatory environment for businesses. By highlighting the procedures, time, and cost involved in key business activities, it encourages economies to reform and adopt more efficient practices. The Arab World, while showing some progress, still has room for improvement in several areas, particularly in reducing the complexity and cost of starting and operating a business.