Skip to main content
Log in

Identifying and Addressing Gender Issues in Doing Business

  • Original Article
  • Published:
The European Journal of Development Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Doing Business, the World Bank's annual flagship publication, claims that payoffs for women from regulatory reform are large despite a lack of explicit focus on social factors affecting the economic participation of women. Taking off from our previous findings that discrimination hindering women's economic participation originate at the level of traditions and perpetuate at the level of regulations, this article suggests a combined qualitative and quantitative methodology that addresses gender issues in the Doing Business project. The approach evaluates discrimination at the level of traditions with one of two quantitative methodological options that incorporate gender perspectives at the regulatory level.

‘Doing Business’, la publication phare annuelle de la Banque Mondiale, affirme que la réforme de la réglementation est favorable aux femmes malgré l’absence explicite de prise en compte des facteurs sociaux ayant un impact sur la participation des femmes dans l’économie. Partant de notre constatation antérieure que la discrimination qui fait obstacle à la participation des femmes dans l’économie trouve ses racines dans les traditions et est maintenue par la réglementation, cet article propose une méthodologie combinant une approche qualitative et une approche quantitative pour aborder la question de l’égalité des sexes dans le projet ‘Doing Business’. Cette approche évalue la discrimination au niveau des traditions en appliquant une de deux méthodes quantitatives qui prennent en compte la question des différences entre les sexes au niveau de la réglementation.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Figure 1

Notes

  1. This indicator was called ‘Dealing with licenses’ until 2008.

References

  • Akua Duncan, B. and Brants, C. (2004) Access to and Control over Land from a Gender Perspective: A Study Conducted in the Volta Region of Ghana. Washington DC: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

    Google Scholar 

  • Arruñada, B. (2007) Pitfalls to avoid when measuring institutions: Is Doing Business damaging business? Journal of Comparative Economics 35 (4): 729–747.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aslam, A. (2008) World Bank Watchdog Thrashes ‘Doing Business’ Index. Rome, Italy: Rome Inter Press Service News Agency.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beegle, K. and Strauss, J. (1996) Intrahousehold Allocations: A Review of Theories, Empirical Evidence and Policy Issues. Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan: Department of Agricultural Economics East Lansing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Berg, J. and Cazes, S. (2007) The Doing Business Indicators: Measurement Issues and Political Implications. Employment Analysis and Research Unit Geneva, ILO. Economic and Labour Market Paper 2007/6.

  • Bortei-Doku, A. (2002) Behind the norms: Women's access to land in Ghana. In: C. Toulmin, P.L. Devilleand and S. Traore (eds.) The Dynamics of Resource Tenure in West Africa. London, UK: IIED.

    Google Scholar 

  • Burke, A.E., Fitzroy, F.R. and Nolan, M.A. (2002) Self employment, wealth and job creation: The roles of gender, non-pecuniary motivation and entrepreneurial ability. Small Business Economics 19: 255–270.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Buvinic, M. and King, E.M. (2007) Smart economics. Finance and Development 44 (2): 1–8.

    Google Scholar 

  • Commander, S. and Svejnar, J. (2007) Do Institutions, Ownership, Exporting and Competition Explain Firm Performance? Evidence from 26 Transition Countries. Bonn. IZA Discussion Paper no. 2637.

  • Davidsson, P. (1999) Culture, structure and regional levels of entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship and Regional Development (7): 41–62.

  • De Soto, H. (2000) The Mystery of Capital: Why Capitalism Triumphs in the West and Fails Everywhere Else. New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Djankov, S., McLiesh, C. and Ramalho, R. (2006) Regulation and growth. Economics Letters 92 (3): 395–401.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dowuona-Hammond, C. (2008) Improved land and property rights. Conference Documentation: Enterprise Development – African Global Lessons for More Effective Donor Practices from Women's Perspectives, Accra, Ghana.

  • Drachenfels, C.V., Altenburg, T. and Krause, M. (2007) Seven Theses on Doing Business. Bonn, Germany: German Development Institute.

    Google Scholar 

  • Elam, A. and Terjesen, S. (2008) Gender, institutions and cross national patterns of business start-up for men and women. UNU WIDER Project Workshop on Entrepreneurship and Economic Development, Helsinki; 21–23 August.

  • Ellis, A., Cutura, J., Dione, N., Gillson, I., Manuel, C. and Thongori, J. (2007) Gender and Economic Growth in Kenya, Unleashing the Power of Women. Washington DC: The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/The World Bank.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hampel-Milagrosa, A. (2008) Gender-differentiated Impact of Investment Climate Reforms: A Critical Review of the Doing Business Project. Bonn: Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik, German Development Institute. DIE Discussion Paper Series.

  • Hilton, A. (2008) Access to Finance Enterprise Development: Africa and Global Lessons for More Effective Donor Practices from Women's Perspective. Eschborn, Germany: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH Programme Promoting Gender Equality and Women's Rights.

    Google Scholar 

  • Huffman, A. (2007) How Do Informal and Formal Restrictions on Women Affect Economic Performance? Washington DC, Seniors Honors thesis, Department of Economics, Washington University.

  • International Labour Organization. (1998) Women in the informal sector and their access to Microfinance. Geneva: ILO, http://www.ilo.org/public/english/employment/ent/papers/women.htm, accessed 17 January 2008.

  • Jütting, J.P. and Morrisson, C. (2005) Changing Social Institutions to Improve the Status of Women in Developing Countries. Paris: Social Science Research Network. Policy Brief no. 27 OECD.

  • Kanbur, R. (2002) Economics, social science and development. World Development 30 (3): 477–486.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kanbur, R. and Shaffer, P. (2007) Epistemology, normative theory and poverty analysis: Implications for Q-Squared in practice. World Development 32 (2): 183–196.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Katz, E. and Chamorro, J.S. (2003) Gender, land rights and the household economy in rural Nicaragua and Honduras. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the Latin American and Caribbean Economics Association; 9–11 October, Puebla, Mexico.

  • Khotkina, Z. (2005) The Impact of Macroeconomic Policies and Economies in Transition on Women's Employment, Including the Informal Sector, Paper presented at the United Nations Division for the Advancement of Women (UN-DAW) Conference entitled ‘Enhancing the Participation of Women in Economic Development through an Enabling Environment for Achieving Gender Equality and the Advancement of Women’, Bangkok, Thailand; 8–11 November.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mayoux, L. (1997) The Magic Ingredient? Microfinance and Women's Empowerment. Washington DC: Micro Credit Summit.

    Google Scholar 

  • Minniti, M. (2008) Female entrepreneurship and economic development. UNU WIDER Project Workshop on Entrepreneurship and Economic Development, Helsinki, Finland; 21–23 August.

  • Montenegro, C.E. and Pagés, C. (2003) Who Benefits from Labour Market Regulations? Chile 1960–1998. Cambridge: Massachussetts, National Bureau of Economic Research. NBER Working Paper 9850.

  • Niethammer, C., Saeed, T., Mohamed, S.S. and Charafi, Y. (2007) Women entrepreneurs and access to finance in Pakistan. Women's Policy Journal 4 (Summer): 1–12.

    Google Scholar 

  • North, D.C. (1990) Institutions, Institutional Change and Economic Performance. New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Richardson, P., Howarth, R. and Finnegan, G. (2004) The Challenges of Growing Small Businesses: Insights from Women Entrepreneurs in Africa, Women's Entrepreneurship Development and Gender Equality – WEDGE Geneva, Switzerland: International Labour Office.

    Google Scholar 

  • Saavedra, J. (1998) Crisis real o crisis de expectivas: el mercado laboral peruano antes y depues la reformas. Washington DC: Inter American Development Bank. Working Paper 388.

  • Stel, A.v., Storey, D.J. and Thurik, A.R. (2006) The Effect of Business Regulations on Nascent and Young Business Entrepreneurship. Rotterdam: Erasmus University Rotterdam. ERIM Report Series no. ERS-2006–052-ORG.

  • Toulmin, C. (2005) Securing Land and Property Rights in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Role of Local Institutions. Switzerland: World Economic Forum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Verheul, I., Stel, A.v. and Thurik, R. (2006) Explaining female and male entrepreneurship at the country level. Entrepreneurship and Regional Development (18): 151–183.

  • Williamson, O. (1998) Transaction cost economics: How it works, where it is headed. de Economist 146 (1): 23–58.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Williamson, O. (2000) The new institutional economics: Taking stock, looking ahead. Economic Literature 38 (September): 595–693.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • World Bank. (2004) Doing Business in 2005: Removing Obstacles to Growth. Washington DC: The World Bank/IFC.

  • World Bank. (2005) Doing Business in 2006: Creating Jobs. Washington DC: The World Bank/IFC.

  • World Bank. (2007) Doing Business in 2008: Comparing Regulation in 178 Economies. Washington DC: IFC/The World Bank.

  • World Bank. (2008) Doing Business in 2008: Comparing Regulation in 178 Economies. Washington DC: IFC/The World Bank.

  • World Bank. (2009) Doing Business 2010: Comparing Regulation in 183 Economies. Washington DC: Palgrave Macmillan.

  • World Bank Independent Evaluation Group. (2008) Doing Business: An Independent Evaluation, Taking the Measure of the World Bank-IFC Doing Business Indicators. Washington DC: The World Bank.

Download references

Acknowledgements

The author acknowledge Dr Tilman Altenburg and Dr Matthias Krause and two anonymous referees for their invaluable comments on earlier versions of this article.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Hampel-Milagrosa, A. Identifying and Addressing Gender Issues in Doing Business. Eur J Dev Res 22, 349–362 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1057/ejdr.2010.12

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/ejdr.2010.12

Keywords

Navigation