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 Do Manufacturing and Service Firms Differ within the Informal Sector?A comparison of service and manufacturing firms in the informal or unregistered sector in Côte d’Ivoire, Madagascar and Mauritius shows that service firms are larger in terms of total sales and also generate more output per worker. More... |  The Impact of the Financial Crisis on Supply-Chain FinancingTrade credit is an important source of financing for firms in emerging markets. In this note, we identify the firm and market characteristics associated with the extension of supplier financing. More... |
 Difficulties in Job Creation and ExportingThis Enterprise Note shows that in countries where it is more constraining to create new jobs, a smaller fraction of firms choose to participate in export markets. More... |  International Differences in Entrepreneurial FinanceThis Enterprise Note suggests that improvements to the legal environment and availability of credit information are disproportionately beneficial for promoting access to formal finance by young firms. More... |
More Notes:
Retail: Challenges of Retailing in India
Financial Crisis: How are Firms in Eastern and Central Europe Reacting to the Financial Crisis?
Reforms: Determinants of Doing Business Reforms
Informality: Formal and Informal Microenterprises
Financial Crisis: The Impact of the Global Economic Crisis on the Corporate Sector in Europe and Central Asia
Job Creation: The Effects of Rigid Labor Regulations in Latin America
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
Published papers by researchers associated with the Enterprise Analysis Unit
- New! Gender and Firm-size: Evidence from Africa
- Rigidities in Employment Protection and Exporting
- Labor Productivity in the Informal Sector: Necessity vs. Opportunity Firms
- 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
Additional Research
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