Launch of 16 new Doing Business Case Studies
Successful reforms may hinge more on timing -- or seizing opportunities -- than carefully crafted plans, according to Celebrating Reform 2008, a new book that explores reforms in sixteen countries spanning the globe. Researchers found that reforms usually happen when new governments take office, and that they often follow crises. They also found that reformers don't have time for concepts like "getting the right sequencing" and "finding the binding constraint," and that reformers are helped by active media and information campaigns. Tapping development experts, outside expertise, and lessons from other countries were also beneficial. 
Download full report (PDF, 3.5MB) Case Studies:
| Topic | Country | Title/ Author | PDF size |
| Starting a Business | Azerbaijan | Azerbaijan business registration agencies cooperate on a new one-stop-shop by Svetlana Bagaudinova, Dahlia khalifa and Givi Petriashvili | 237KB |
| Portugal | One stop shopping in Portugal by Camille Ramos | 164KB | |
| Saudi Arabia | Competitiveness from innovation, not inheritance by Karim Belayachi and Jamal Ibrahim Haidar | 176KB | |
| Singapore | Harnessing the internet to streamline procedures by K Latha | 230KB | |
| Dealing with Licenses | Czech Republic | Creating a new profession from scratch by Carolin Geginat and Jana Malinska | 176KB |
| Registering Property | Egypt | How to raise revenues by lowering fees by Jamal Ibrahim Haidar | 249KB |
| Ghana | When enough is enough by Cemile Hacibeyoglu | 215KB | |
| Honduras | Slashing the time to register property from 18 months to 15 days by Roger Coma-Cunill and Marie Delion | 240KB | |
| Getting Credit | Peru | Bringing more credit to the private sector by Valerie Marechal and Raha Shahid-Saless | 251KB |
| Protecting Investors | Vietnam | Protecting minority investors to boost investment by Jean Michel Lobet | 290KB |
| Paying Taxes | Turkey | Giving a facelift to the Turkish tax system by Tea Trumbic and Carolin Otonglo | 215KB |
| Trading Across Borders | Jordan | A public-private partnership brings order to Aqaba's port by Allen Dennis and Doina Cebotari | 262KB |
| Enforcing Contracts | Poland | Fighting entrenched interests to enforce judgments faster by Lior Ziv | 271KB |
| Tonga | Enforcing Contracts quickly, with help from neighbors by Justice Ford and Oliver Lorenz | 243KB | |
| Rwanda | Pragmatism leads way in setting up specialized commercial courts by Sabine Hertveldt | 304KB | |
| Closing a Business | Italy | Repaying creditors without imprisoning debtors by Mema Beye and Jonna Nasr | 313KB |
The case studies were sponsored by the Doing Business project and USAID. The case studies were edited by Bruce Ross-Larson and designed and produced by Gerry Quinn. The project was made possible by the generous contribution of more than 100 public officials, lawyers and business people.
Download the 11 case studies from Celebrating Reform 2007 (PDF, 963KB).