Doing Business in Landlocked Economies 2009
For the first time, Doing Business narrows its focus to analyze 38 landlocked economies in the report, Doing Business in Landlocked Economies 2009. Based on data from the global Doing Business project, the new study finds that landlocked economies underperform, as a group, in 7 out of 10 Doing Business indicators. Yet the group outperforms coastal economies in the areas of registering property, enforcing contracts and employing workers.Landlocked economies face special challenges due to their geography. Trade often involves greater distances and border crossings offer their own obstacles. However, the quality of a nation’s business regulatory environment is within its control. Transparent and efficient regulations can encourage entrepreneurs and facilitate private-sector business activity, according to Doing Business research.
Doing Business in Landlocked Economies 2009 reports that many landlocked economies are reforming to instigate private-sector-lead growth -- particularly within Central Asia. In fact, Azerbaijan was a top Doing Business reformer in 2007/2008 with new reforms in 7 out of 10 indicators. Azerbaijan currently occupies the number 3 position among landlocked economies -- following OECD nations Switzerland (number 1) and the Czech Republic (number 2).
In the report, the 38 landlocked economies are grouped in 6 categories:
- East Asia and Pacific [Lao PDR and Mongolia]
- Eastern Europe and Central Asia [Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Macedonia (former Yugoslav Republic of), Moldova, Serbia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan]
- Latin America and Caribbean [Bolivia and Paraguay]
- OECD high income [Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Luxembourg, Slovakia and Switzerland]
- South Asia [Afghanistan, Bhutan and Nepal]
- Sub-Saharan Africa [Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Ethiopia, Lesotho, Malawi, Mali, Niger, Rwanda, Swaziland, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe]
The study finds landlocked economies rank lower on the overall ease of doing business in each of the 6 categories -- except in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the 15 landlocked nations outperform their coastal peers.
Doing Business in Landlocked Economies 2009 is a co-publication of World Bank and the International Finance Corporation. It was released in Washington, D.C. on October 1, 2008.
First Doing Business report on landlocked economies identifies opportunities to strengthen competitiveness through regulatory reform (