Place Based Economic Development with Simon White

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Investment Climate

Investment Climate Reform

This article introduces the concept of investment climate reform and its role in private sector development. It answers the questions: What is the investment climate? What is investment climate reform? The investment climate covers a broad range of locational elements influencing the decisions of private investors. Beyond the firm: framework

Small Business Development

Small Business Development

This article introduces the concept of small business and the approach to small business development. It answers the questions: Why are small businesses important? How to support small business development? This topic includes micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. The article introduces important nuances in our understanding of the role small

Private sector

Private Sector Development

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.

Innovation Informal Economy

New insights on the informal economy

I recently co-authored a Donor Committee for Enterprise Development (DCED) research report (with Will Nielsen) entitled Dealing with Firm Informality. There is a lot of new debate on this topic. For some examples, see this recent World Bank publication on The Long Shadow of Informality: Challenges and Policies, and the

Business in fragile and conflict

Private Sector Development in Fragile and Conflict Affected Situations

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

SME Test

The SME Test: Assessing the impact of new laws and regulations on SMEs

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

Asia informal economy

Addressing informality through local business advocacy

While many business organisations represent formal businesses, it is important for local business advocacy to consider the issues faced in the informal economy. Earlier this year, I was commissioned by the International Labour Office (ILO) in the Asia Pacific Region to write a research report on the impact of government