I am pleased to be able to share this video I worked on for the Donor Committee for Enterprise Development (DCED). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sS_fgLT-Mh0 I have been working with the DCED for a number of years and, in particular, providing support to its Business Environment Working Group. The DCED has some great resources available on business environment…
European Support for the Private Sector in Achieving Inclusive and Sustainable Growth in Developing Countries
The month, the European Commission submitted a report to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of Regions on its support to the private sector in developing countries, The report, entitled A Stronger Role of the Private Sector in Achieving Inclusive and Sustainable Growth in Developing Countries (13 May 2014),…
Do business environment reforms encourage informal firms to formalise?
This year’s Doing Business report, Doing Business in 2014, is out. It is always interesting to see which countries have moved up or down in the annual rankings –– as problematic as the methodology of rankings is, it is still a potent source of debate on the relative need for reform. This year, World Bank…
Extending social protection to informal workers
SOURCE: iStockphoto Across Africa, and in many other developing economies around the world, informal enterprises represent the majority of the business sector. While definitions vary, informality generally refers to micro and small enterprises that operate without full compliance with the legal and regulatory framework. They are typically unlicensed and unregistered. They…
Egypt's increasing informal economy
Ghada Barsoum, professor of public policy at the American University in Cairo (AUC) claims that the informal economy has become the “number one source of income in Egypt,” as a result of “the lack of opportunities in the formal economy.” Seventy-five percent of Egyptian youth, according to Barsoum, are working in this situation. Maurice Chammah’s article, “With…