Improvements in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Rankings : Do they Translate into Greater Foreign Direct Investment Inflows?

The World Bank's Ease of Doing Business reports have been ranking countries since 2006. However, do improvements in rankings generate greater foreign direct investment inflows? This study is the first to test such a proposition empirically wit...

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Main Author: Jayasuriya, Dinuk
Format: Policy Research Working Paper
Language:English
Published: 2012
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000158349_20110906093409
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/3550
id okr-10986-3550
recordtype oai_dc
spelling okr-10986-35502021-04-23T14:02:10Z Improvements in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Rankings : Do they Translate into Greater Foreign Direct Investment Inflows? Jayasuriya, Dinuk ACCOUNT ACCOUNTS BOND BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT BUSINESS INDICATORS BUSINESS TAXES CAPITAL FLOWS CAPITAL MARKETS COUNTRY FIXED EFFECTS CURRENCY CURRENCY DEPRECIATION DETERMINANTS OF GOVERNANCE DEVELOPING COUNTRIES DEVELOPING COUNTRY DIVIDEND DOUBLE TAXATION DUMMY VARIABLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT EMERGING ECONOMIES EMERGING MARKET EMERGING MARKETS EXCHANGE RATES EXTERNAL INVESTORS FINANCE CORPORATION FINANCIAL CRISIS FINANCIAL MARKETS FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENTS FOREIGN FIRMS FOREIGN INVESTMENT GLOBAL ECONOMY GOVERNANCE INDICATORS GOVERNANCE RANKING GOVERNANCE RANKINGS HOST COUNTRY INCOME INCOME TAXES INFLATION INFLATION RATE INSTITUTIONAL ENVIRONMENT INSTRUMENT INTERNATIONAL BANK INTERNATIONAL ECONOMICS INTERNATIONAL FINANCE INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL MARKETS INTERNATIONAL TRADE INVESTMENT CLIMATE INVESTOR PROTECTION JUDICIAL INDEPENDENCE LEGAL RIGHTS LEGAL SYSTEM LEGAL SYSTEM EFFICIENCY LOCAL FINANCIAL MARKETS LOW-INCOME COUNTRIES MACROECONOMIC VARIABLES MARKET SIZE MONETARY FUND MULTINATIONAL ENTERPRISES POLITICAL STABILITY POVERTY ALLEVIATION PRIVATE PROPERTY PROPERTY RIGHTS REAL EXCHANGE RATE RULE OF LAW SOCIAL CAPITAL TAX TAX RATES TAXATION POLICY TRADING TRANSITION ECONOMIES VALUATION WORLD ECONOMY The World Bank's Ease of Doing Business reports have been ranking countries since 2006. However, do improvements in rankings generate greater foreign direct investment inflows? This study is the first to test such a proposition empirically with Arellano-Bond dynamic panel estimators using the official rankings from 2006 to 2009. The paper shows this relationship is significant for the average country. However, when the sample is restricted to developing countries, the results suggest an improved ranking has, on average, an insignificant (albeit positive) influence on foreign direct investment inflows. Although robust, this result should be taken with caution given that it refers to the average developing country using data across a four-year time period. Finally, the paper demonstrates that, on average, countries that undertake large-scale reforms relative to other countries do not necessarily attract greater foreign direct investment inflows. This analysis may have important ramifications for developing country governments wanting to improve their Doing Business Rankings in the hope of attracting foreign direct investment inflows. 2012-03-19T18:04:28Z 2012-03-19T18:04:28Z 2011-09-01 http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000158349_20110906093409 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/3550 English Policy Research working paper ; no. WPS 5787 CC BY 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/ World Bank Publications & Research :: Policy Research Working Paper The World Region The World Region
repository_type Digital Repository
institution_category Foreign Institution
institution Digital Repositories
building World Bank Open Knowledge Repository
collection World Bank
language English
topic ACCOUNT
ACCOUNTS
BOND
BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT
BUSINESS INDICATORS
BUSINESS TAXES
CAPITAL FLOWS
CAPITAL MARKETS
COUNTRY FIXED EFFECTS
CURRENCY
CURRENCY DEPRECIATION
DETERMINANTS OF GOVERNANCE
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
DEVELOPING COUNTRY
DIVIDEND
DOUBLE TAXATION
DUMMY VARIABLE
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
EMERGING ECONOMIES
EMERGING MARKET
EMERGING MARKETS
EXCHANGE RATES
EXTERNAL INVESTORS
FINANCE CORPORATION
FINANCIAL CRISIS
FINANCIAL MARKETS
FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT
FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENTS
FOREIGN FIRMS
FOREIGN INVESTMENT
GLOBAL ECONOMY
GOVERNANCE INDICATORS
GOVERNANCE RANKING
GOVERNANCE RANKINGS
HOST COUNTRY
INCOME
INCOME TAXES
INFLATION
INFLATION RATE
INSTITUTIONAL ENVIRONMENT
INSTRUMENT
INTERNATIONAL BANK
INTERNATIONAL ECONOMICS
INTERNATIONAL FINANCE
INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL MARKETS
INTERNATIONAL TRADE
INVESTMENT CLIMATE
INVESTOR PROTECTION
JUDICIAL INDEPENDENCE
LEGAL RIGHTS
LEGAL SYSTEM
LEGAL SYSTEM EFFICIENCY
LOCAL FINANCIAL MARKETS
LOW-INCOME COUNTRIES
MACROECONOMIC VARIABLES
MARKET SIZE
MONETARY FUND
MULTINATIONAL ENTERPRISES
POLITICAL STABILITY
POVERTY ALLEVIATION
PRIVATE PROPERTY
PROPERTY RIGHTS
REAL EXCHANGE RATE
RULE OF LAW
SOCIAL CAPITAL
TAX
TAX RATES
TAXATION POLICY
TRADING
TRANSITION ECONOMIES
VALUATION
WORLD ECONOMY
spellingShingle ACCOUNT
ACCOUNTS
BOND
BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT
BUSINESS INDICATORS
BUSINESS TAXES
CAPITAL FLOWS
CAPITAL MARKETS
COUNTRY FIXED EFFECTS
CURRENCY
CURRENCY DEPRECIATION
DETERMINANTS OF GOVERNANCE
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
DEVELOPING COUNTRY
DIVIDEND
DOUBLE TAXATION
DUMMY VARIABLE
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
EMERGING ECONOMIES
EMERGING MARKET
EMERGING MARKETS
EXCHANGE RATES
EXTERNAL INVESTORS
FINANCE CORPORATION
FINANCIAL CRISIS
FINANCIAL MARKETS
FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT
FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENTS
FOREIGN FIRMS
FOREIGN INVESTMENT
GLOBAL ECONOMY
GOVERNANCE INDICATORS
GOVERNANCE RANKING
GOVERNANCE RANKINGS
HOST COUNTRY
INCOME
INCOME TAXES
INFLATION
INFLATION RATE
INSTITUTIONAL ENVIRONMENT
INSTRUMENT
INTERNATIONAL BANK
INTERNATIONAL ECONOMICS
INTERNATIONAL FINANCE
INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL MARKETS
INTERNATIONAL TRADE
INVESTMENT CLIMATE
INVESTOR PROTECTION
JUDICIAL INDEPENDENCE
LEGAL RIGHTS
LEGAL SYSTEM
LEGAL SYSTEM EFFICIENCY
LOCAL FINANCIAL MARKETS
LOW-INCOME COUNTRIES
MACROECONOMIC VARIABLES
MARKET SIZE
MONETARY FUND
MULTINATIONAL ENTERPRISES
POLITICAL STABILITY
POVERTY ALLEVIATION
PRIVATE PROPERTY
PROPERTY RIGHTS
REAL EXCHANGE RATE
RULE OF LAW
SOCIAL CAPITAL
TAX
TAX RATES
TAXATION POLICY
TRADING
TRANSITION ECONOMIES
VALUATION
WORLD ECONOMY
Jayasuriya, Dinuk
Improvements in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Rankings : Do they Translate into Greater Foreign Direct Investment Inflows?
geographic_facet The World Region
The World Region
relation Policy Research working paper ; no. WPS 5787
description The World Bank's Ease of Doing Business reports have been ranking countries since 2006. However, do improvements in rankings generate greater foreign direct investment inflows? This study is the first to test such a proposition empirically with Arellano-Bond dynamic panel estimators using the official rankings from 2006 to 2009. The paper shows this relationship is significant for the average country. However, when the sample is restricted to developing countries, the results suggest an improved ranking has, on average, an insignificant (albeit positive) influence on foreign direct investment inflows. Although robust, this result should be taken with caution given that it refers to the average developing country using data across a four-year time period. Finally, the paper demonstrates that, on average, countries that undertake large-scale reforms relative to other countries do not necessarily attract greater foreign direct investment inflows. This analysis may have important ramifications for developing country governments wanting to improve their Doing Business Rankings in the hope of attracting foreign direct investment inflows.
format Publications & Research :: Policy Research Working Paper
author Jayasuriya, Dinuk
author_facet Jayasuriya, Dinuk
author_sort Jayasuriya, Dinuk
title Improvements in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Rankings : Do they Translate into Greater Foreign Direct Investment Inflows?
title_short Improvements in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Rankings : Do they Translate into Greater Foreign Direct Investment Inflows?
title_full Improvements in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Rankings : Do they Translate into Greater Foreign Direct Investment Inflows?
title_fullStr Improvements in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Rankings : Do they Translate into Greater Foreign Direct Investment Inflows?
title_full_unstemmed Improvements in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Rankings : Do they Translate into Greater Foreign Direct Investment Inflows?
title_sort improvements in the world bank’s ease of doing business rankings : do they translate into greater foreign direct investment inflows?
publishDate 2012
url http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000158349_20110906093409
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/3550
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