The Doing Business will soon be something of the past. The World Bank Group is currently working on a new index. According to the information we have received, the Doing Business will be replaced by the project «Business Enabling Environment (BEE)».
It goes without saying that the title of the index could be changed once finalized. It is based on a new approach to assess more objectively the business and investment climate around the world, as announced by the World Bank Group who is reactivating its global network of experts who participated in the development of the Doing Business. It should be noted that about twenty respondents were collaborating with the World Bank group in Morocco. They were notified yesterday, Wednesday, February 9, that a new index was being prepared without giving further details. The information related to this project should be published soon on the net.
The World Bank portal will serve as a one-stop shop to publish indicators and resources related to the business environment. For the time being, participants have not been briefed on the new approach to assess the business climate around the world.
Experts were asked to be prepared to continue their collaboration once the Business Enabling Environment Index project is launched. Respondents also received their certificate of participation in the development of the Doing Business Index.
To assess the business environment around the world as accurately as possible and with quality data, World Bank experts rely on respondents in each country to describe the impact of reforms on the ground and on business life.
This work is done on a voluntary basis. The names of those who contributed to the development of the global Doing Business indicators are published in the final report, and a certificate of appreciation is given to them.
Created in 2002, the first Doing Business report was released in 2003. It covered 133 economies. The latest one, in 2020, scrutinizes 199 countries. The ranking has enabled many countries to implement reforms to improve their business climate and strengthen the role of the private sector, particularly of SMEs and VSEs, in development.
Hassan EL ARIF
