Research
The Enterprise Analysis Unit's research aims at understanding how the business environment affects firm performance in developing countries. Data from the Enterprise Surveys serves as the primary input, complemented with similar firm-level surveys and other relevant data sources. Two types of research products are featured below. Enterprise Notes are 3-4 page research briefings with concise empirical findings and policy implications. Research Papers are journal articles or academic working papers.
Enterprise Notes
How are firms in Eastern and Central Europe reacting to the financial crisis?Since late 2008, countries around the world have been affected by the global economic slowdown. The Financial Crisis Survey measures the effects of this crisis on 1,686 firms in six countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia: Bulgaria, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, and Turkey. More... | Determinants of Doing Business ReformsThis note identifies the quality of democracy and the amount of natural resources as important determinants of Doing Business reforms. Reforms are more likely in countries with better democracy and less reliance on natural resources. More... |
Formal and Informal MicroenterprisesThis note uses unique data from enterprise surveys in three African countries to examine the characteristics of informal and formal microenterprises. Entrepreneurs in the informal sector have different motivations for starting a business from their formal sector counterparts, with about twice as many informal entrepreneurs citing lack of alternative employment opportunities as their main motivation. More... | The Effects of Rigid Labor Regulations in Latin AmericaRigid regulations may prevent labor markets from being efficient. We quantify, for 14 Latin American countries, the extent to which rigid labor regulations affect both the hiring and dismissal decisions of firms. Making regulations more flexible would lead to an average net increase of 2.1 percent of total employment. More... |
More Notes:
Competition: Consumer Behavior and Competition in Indian Retailing
Job Creation: Foreign Exposure and Job Creation
Crime: Crime, Security, and Firms in Latin America
Informality: Entry Regulation, Labor Laws, and Informality
Research Papers
Please find below the list of all published research papers.

- New! Labor Productivity in the Informal Sector: Necessity vs. Opportunity Firms

- New! Obstacles to Registering: Necessity vs. Opportunity Entrepreneurs

- Entry Regulation, Labor Laws and Informality

- Importing, Exporting and Innovation in Developing Countries

- Natural Resources and Reforms

- Multinational Firms, Global Value Chains and the Organization of Knowledge Transfer

- Capital Immobility and Regional Inequality: Evidence from India

- Intellectual Property Rights and Innovation in Developing Countries: Evidence from India

- Democracy and Reforms

- When does Legal Origin Matter?

- The Cost of Registering Property: Does Legal Origin Matter?

- Job Creation and Labor Reform in Latin America

- What Firms Know

- Helpful Governments

- The Impact of Improved Highways on Indian Firms

- Mexico: Who are the Unbanked?

- Enforceability of Labor Law : Evidence from a Labor Court in Mexico

- The Effect of Corporate Taxes on Investment and Entrepreneurship (draft paper)

- Remittances and Banking Services: Evidence from Mexico

- Litigation and Settlement: New Evidence from Labor Courts in Mexico

- Mexican Employment Dynamics: Evidence from Matched Firm-worker Data

- Obtaining a Driving License in India: An Experimental Approach to Studying Corruption?

- Competition and Demographics in Large Indian Cities

- How Sensitive are Latin American Exports to Chinese Competition in the U.S. Market?

- The Incidence of Graft on Developing-Country Firms

- Who Fears Competition from Informal Firms? Evidence from Latin America

- Financial Development and Innovation in Small Firms

- When do Creditor Rights Work?

- Entry Regulation and Business Start-Ups: Evidence from Mexico

- Labor Regulation and Employment in India's Retail Stores

- Computer Usage and Labor Regulation in India's Retail Stores

- Competition and Labor Productivity in India's Retail Stores

- When do Enterprises Prefer Informal Credit?

- Are Labor Regulations Driving Computer Usage in India's Retail Stores?

- Private Credit in 129 Countries

- The Persistence of Corruption in Brazil

- Does Foreign Aid Help?

- Aid with Multiple Personalities

- Regulation and Growth

- Who are China's Entrepreneurs?

- Entrepreneurship in China and Russia Compared

- Trading on Time

- The Curse of Aid




