The development objective of the Long Term Export Finance Project for Turkey is to improve access to longer term finance for export oriented small, medium, and large enterprises.
... See More + Some of the negative impacts and mitigation measures include: (1) participating financial institutions (PFIs) will be selected based on their expression of interest in participating in the project and on acceptance by Turk Eximbank of their credit risk, as well as the necessary eligibility criteria; (2) PFIs will be responsible for ensuring that sub-beneficiaries comply with the World Bank’s procurement procedures for the procurement of goods, works, non-consulting services, and consultant services under sub-finance, applicable Turkish environmental legislation and regulations, and the World Bank policy on environmental assessment; (3) PFIs will provide Turk Eximbank with a set of documentation for all sub-finance to enable it to maintain all project records and make them available for ex-post review by the World Bank or by external auditors as necessary; and (4) PFIs and the final beneficiaries of the credit line will be required to provide reasonable information for the purpose of monitoring and impact assessment during the life of the project (and for a certain period after the project), as may be requested by the World Bank and Turk Eximbank.
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The images of flattened buildings and tent cities that dominated the news following the Haitian earthquake of January 12, 2010 triggered an emergency response from the global aid and development community.
... See More + Foreign governments, multilateral organizations including the World Bank, and NGOs dramatically increased the flow of funding to the devastated country. The money helped pay for emergency relief but also for higher public investment spending that sought to repair damage and press ahead with development projects that had begun before the disaster. Six years later, the flow of aid is declining, and Haiti faces pivotal challenges: how to adapt to the reductions, raise more resources internally, spend more efficiently, and safeguard the fragile social gains it has achieved in a time of extreme hardship. The infrastructure Haiti has acquired in the recent surge of investment is something like a newly built house that lacks furniture and running water, it may look good from the outside but does little for its occupants. For the present, life remains a struggle for most of the country’s 10.4 million people. Thus in addition to growth, the country needs policies that will foster inclusiveness. Analysis and past experience suggest that two factors are key: human capital and political stability. To achieve this goal, Haiti will require a new outlook favoring fair, efficient government and social inclusiveness.
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The images of flattened buildings and tent cities that dominated the news following the Haitian earthquake of January 12, 2010 triggered an emergency response from the global aid and development community.
... See More + Foreign governments, multilateral organizations including the World Bank, and NGOs dramatically increased the flow of funding to the devastated country. The money helped pay for emergency relief but also for higher public investment spending that sought to repair damage and press ahead with development projects that had begun before the disaster. Six years later, the flow of aid is declining, and Haiti faces pivotal challenges: how to adapt to the reductions, raise more resources internally, spend more efficiently, and safeguard the fragile social gains it has achieved in a time of extreme hardship. The infrastructure Haiti has acquired in the recent surge of investment is something like a newly built house that lacks furniture and running water, it may look good from the outside but does little for its occupants. For the present, life remains a struggle for most of the country’s 10.4 million people. Thus in addition to growth, the country needs policies that will foster inclusiveness. Analysis and past experience suggest that two factors are key: human capital and political stability. To achieve this goal, Haiti will require a new outlook favoring fair, efficient government and social inclusiveness.
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This handbook is the product of a workshop held in June 2014 with about 25 environmental regulators from over 10 FCV-affected countries (Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, and Sudan) that was financed by the Korean Trust Fund (KTF) and organized and hosted by the World Bank Group (WBG).
... See More + Over the course of one week the participants went through a dense program consisting of presentations, discussions, participatory exercises, field trips and the preparation and presentation of case studies from their own countries. The materials processed and harvested during the workshop were extremely rich, and it seemed logical to capture them in a form that will be of continued practical use for the participants. This handbook is intended as a handy toolkit with practical tips that is borne out of experiences garnered from years of working in FCS, including post conflict situations. The structure of this handbook was conceived during extensive discussions towards the end of the workshop and seen as a ‘road map’ towards the best chance for environmental regulators to make a difference in practice.
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The main purpose of this study is to monitor the business environment and assess the impact government policies and the regulatory requirements have on businesses operating in Moldova.
... See More + The project was carried out based on the following goals: (i) providing the government of the Republic of Moldova and the national and international institutions with quantitative data on the cost incurred by businesses to comply with government regulations; (ii) provide support to the government of Moldova on quality policy analysis with a view to implement the necessary decisions to improve business and investment climates in Moldova; (iii) assist the civil society institutions that make recommendations and need to monitor their impact; and (iv) establish a tool to monitor the evolution of business environment and the impact of the measures taken to reduce barriers and corruption in business. The sample covers 634 companies, excluding agricultural enterprises, individuals and banking institutions and the data was collected throughout October-November 2015. The key findings were as follows: (i) compared with two years ago, the registration procedures lasted longer; (ii) the number of companies that build their premises by themselves substantially decreased; (iii) the duration of obtaining licenses reduced from 18 to 11 days and, the licensing costs were reduced by about 40 percent compared to 2013; (iv) duration of import procedures maintained a downward trend since 2012; (v) the time needed for customs procedures for export remained at the past two years level; (vi) the time for certification of individual batches of goods decreased, but it grew for certification of product lines; (vii) the share of those who need sanitary certificates has decreased in the past five years, reaching 34 percent in 2015; (viii) the frequency of inspections has decreased, but the positive effect was canceled by the increase in time spent by inspectors at a company; (ix) the conditions on the procedures of registration and taxation have not changed; (x) the company’s share dropped more than three times compared to 2009; (xi) as a result of the economic crisis, the number of companies facing over staffing had increased; (xii) state involvement in the conclusion and execution of contracts was a rare practice; and (xiii) both the duration and cost of obtaining phytosanitary certificates were lower than for other types of certificates. To conclude, the general time indicator practically remained unchanged during 2009-2015. Small fluctuations were due to natural dispersion rather than any improvement or deterioration in perception.
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The development objective of the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise Project for Turkey is to improve access to finance for micro, small, and medium enterprises, and longer term finance to large enterprises involved in domestic value chains.
... See More + Some of the negative impacts and mitigation measures include: (1) HalkBank should be approached after the sub-project sponsors have obtained all necessary environmental permits and environmental clearance from Turkish Government; (2) after ascertaining that all Turkish requirements have been met and clearances obtained, HalkBank should screen the project according to World Bank categorization (category A, B, or C) according to OP 4.01 (details on World Bank categorization is given in section Vl.2); and (3) HalkBank should be ensured that all civil construction works planned will be executed on existing land plots which are already in the possession of the respective factory and production buildings and or industrial zones, and assessment of the investments will confirm that the locations are not occupied or being used for economic activities by any person.
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Regulatory frameworks on logistics regulations are often opaque, especially in developing countries, because of the complex nature of logistics services.
... See More + World Bank client countries have faced difficulty finding the issues that hinder them from improving logistics competence. Therefore, it is beneficial to understand how the logistics service industry is regulated and what should be addressed in building the regulatory framework to improve logistics competence. This note proposes questions to be addressed for beneficial regulations by reviewing existing logistics service regulations in 14 countries, particularly regulations for the freight forwarding industry. These questions will help in assessing a regulatory framework and identifying regulatory weaknesses. This note suggests that the regulatory framework should take into consideration national recognition of freight forwarding business, an institutional arrangement with clear division of responsibility among stakeholders, and streamlined but flexible regulations adapted to the country context.
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Policy Research Working Paper WPS7401 AUG 21, 2015
Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is classified as a Fragile and Conflict-Affected State. It has a complex government structure which is plagued with significant political turmoil each election cycle.
... See More + BiH comprises the national (federal) level government, and two entities, the Federation BiH, Republika Srpska (RS), and Brcko District, all of which have strong legislative powers aff ecting day-to-day business operations. The Federation BiH is further divided into 10 cantons, each with their own government and legislative powers, although ultimately they are governed by the laws of the Federation BiH. Both the Federation BiH and RS are further subdivided into 143 cities and municipalities, each with their own municipal councils. Such a complex structure gives rise to overlapping competencies, conflicting legislative provisions, and a regulatory implementationgap at the sub-national level. The aim of this paper is to analyze and describe the approach, process and tools used by the team in identifying the problem of ambiguity in the text and the inconsistency of application of the same legislation across several BiH jurisdictions; and how the team’s decisions, activities and actions contributed to and influenced the results, that is to say in closing the regulatory implementation gaps at the sub-national level. The study also revealed the causal effect of the team’s efforts in terms of enabling the private sector to realize real benefits from the implemented reforms. The study consists of four parts. The first part details how the team identified the existence of a regulatory implementation gap and its causes. The second part analyses and describes the process of addressing the specific regulatory implementation gap identified in part one. The third part provides details of the process of the regulatory simplification the team used to address the regulatory implementation gap across jurisdictions, and to link these reforms with a reduction of the administrative burden and increased transparency. Finally, the study also distills the lessons learned during this process that may be relevant for similar situations and environments elsewhere in the future. Part four cites those lessons.
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Mobile network operators (MNOs) such as Safaricom in Kenya; Vodacom, Tigo, and Airtel in Tanzania; and Econet in Zimbabwe are collectively underscoring the importance and potential of MNO-led business models to advance financial inclusion.
... See More + In each of these markets, and in a number of others, where MNOs are able to effectively compete in the provision of mobile financial services (MFS), there are more registered mobile wallets than bank accounts. And in each of these markets mobile payment platforms are being leveraged to offer other financial services such as savings and credit at scale.
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Mobile network operators (MNOs) such as Safaricom in Kenya; Vodacom, Tigo, and Airtel in Tanzania; and Econet in Zimbabwe are collectively underscoring the importance and potential of MNO-led business models to advance financial inclusion.
... See More + In each of these markets, and in a number of others, where MNOs are able to effectively compete in the provision of mobile financial services (MFS), there are more registered mobile wallets than bank accounts. And in each of these markets mobile payment platforms are being leveraged to offer other financial services such as savings and credit at scale.
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Mobile network operators (MNOs) such as Safaricom in Kenya; Vodacom, Tigo, and Airtel in Tanzania; and Econet in Zimbabwe are collectively underscoring the importance and potential of MNO-led business models to advance financial inclusion.
... See More + In each of these markets, and in a number of others, where MNOs are able to effectively compete in the provision of mobile financial services (MFS), there are more registered mobile wallets than bank accounts. And in each of these markets mobile payment platforms are being leveraged to offer other financial services such as savings and credit at scale.
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The development of a regulatory framework which meets international standards is a major concern in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, as it is key not only to fostering economic development but also to ensuring the wellbeing of its citizens.
... See More + To achieve this goal, it is important to: create a sound institutional structure; employ staff qualified in law drafting; set up efficient procedures for co-ordination and consultation; and ensure that the possible impact of new legal instruments is assessed before adopted. The prime objective of the World Bank in supporting the KRG Shura Council remains an improved guide consistent with international standards that can be used by all relevant parties in charge of drafting all types of legislation in the KRG. In keeping with better regulation principles, the authority and impact of the guide are to be achieved more by the relevance of its contents and the quality of its practical advice than by the strength of the legal instrument that seeks to enforce it. This will help to maximize the benefits of the guide in the KRG. In this context, the official use of the guide to legislative drafting should become mandatory. This could be achieved either through making the guide an integral part of a new law on legislative drafting to be passed by the parliament in the KRG under penalty of 0ity of any draft law that violates this rule.
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Access to finance, particularly credit, is widely recognized as problematic for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), hampering their growth and development.
... See More + To address this challenge, many governments around the world intervene in SME credit markets through credit guarantee schemes (CGSs). A CGS offers risk mitigation to lenders by taking a share of the lenders’ losses on SME loans in case of default. CGSs can contribute to expand access to finance for SMEs. Yet they may bring limited value added and prove costly if they are not designed and implemented well. There have been efforts in recent years to identify good practices for CGSs, but the international community still lacks a common set of principles or standards that can help governments establish, operate, and evaluate CGSs for SMEs. The Principles for Public Credit Guarantees for SMEs are filling this gap. The Principles provide a generally accepted set of good practices, which can serve as a global reference for the design, execution, and evaluation of public CGSs around the world. The Principles propose appropriate governance and risk management arrangements, as well as operational conduct rules for CGSs, which can lead to improved outreach and additionality along with financial sustainability. Developed through extensive consultations with stakeholders, the Principles draw from both the literature on good practices for CGSs and sound practices implemented by a number of successful CGSs around the world.
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The main message of this report is that if Kazakhstan wants to take advantage of global integration and diversification opportunities, the government needs to improve its trade policy framework, its management, and its regulations.
... See More + It is also finalizing accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) while its trade strategy includes a number of free trade agreements to be negotiated. It is an active member of the Central Asia Region Economic Cooperation (CAREC). This report is composed of three policy notes that discuss how to improve the trade policy framework, management, and regulations: note one is on the trade policy framework and recommends joining the WTO on a tariff schedule that is more liberal than Russia’s; note two postulates that to benefit more fully from the WTO membership and future regional or bilateral agreements, the institutional framework for trade policy management will need a clearer strategic vision, better coordination within the government and with private sector, and enhanced human capacity; and note three suggests that for the private sector to benefit from global integration and diversification, the government should ease the burden of regulations that affect trade (non-tariff measures (NTMs)).
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