Independent policy advice on economic growth, business development and job creation
This article examines the role of business advocacy in business environment reform. This is an important element of private sector development. The article answers the questions: What is business advocacy? How can business advocacy be made more effective? Importantly, business advocacy is not the same as public-private dialogue. Dialogue is a two-way process in which…
This article examines the role of public-private dialogue in private sector development. It answers the questions: What is public-private dialogue? Why is it important? How can public-private dialogue be improved? What is public-private dialogue? Public-private dialogue (PPD) is the interaction between government and business for business environment reform purposes. It is an essential element to…
This article provides some of the foundational concepts on business environment reform and its role in private sector development. It answers the questions: What is the business environment? What is business environment reform? Much of the content is based on the Donor Committee for Enterprise Development (DCED) key documents in this field, of which I…
This article introduces the concept of the private sector and private sector development. It answers the questions: What is the private sector? What is private sector development? This topic is important, not only for economic development and job creation, but also because it is increasingly used to deliver social services. Private sector development encompasses a…
Some of the most difficult countries to work in are classified as fragile and conflict-affected. In this article, I focus on some of the challenges to supporting private sector development in these countries. This is based on a recent report I wrote on Business Environment Reforms in Fragile and Conflict-Affected Situations. Poverty, fragility and conflict By 2022,…
New laws and regulations quickly accumulate and cause administrative overload for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) because the costs of compliance are often disproportionately higher than for large enterprises. In many countries, the number of laws and regulations adopted each year to which SMEs must comply is increasing dramatically. While this is not a bad…
PLATFORMA, the pan-European coalition of local and regional governments engaged in international cooperation for sustainable development, has just published my report on the Local business Environment and Decentralised Cooperation. This report shows how improving the local business requires capacity development for local governments and decentralisation reforms. Through decentralised cooperation, local and regional governments can lead reforms that…
