This regional profile presents the Doing
Business indicators for economies in East Asia and the
Pacific (EAP). It also shows the regional average, the best
performance globally for each indicator and data for the
following comparator regions: Europe and Central Asia,
European Union, Latin America, South Asia, and OECD High
Income. The data in this report are current as of June 1,
2013, except for the paying taxes indicators, which cover

This economy profile presents the Doing
Business indicators for Denmark. In a series of annual
reports, Doing Business assesses regulations affecting
domestic firms in 189 economies and ranks the economies in
10 areas of business regulation, such as starting a
business, resolving insolvency and trading across borders.
This year's report data cover regulations measured from
June 2012 through May 2013. The report is the 11th edition

This report explores the role of trade
facilitation and logistics in driving export and ultimately
national competitiveness. It posits that this area of trade
consists of three interrelated pillars: (i) transport
infrastructure and logistics services; (ii) regulatory
procedures for exports and imports; and (iii) supply chain
organization. Transport infrastructure and logistics
services relate to the physical aspects of trade flows.

This paper studies the relationship
between inequality of opportunity and development outcomes
in a cross-country setting. Scholars have long debated the
impact of inequality on growth, development, and the quality
of institutions in a society. The empirical relationships
are however confounded by the notion that
"inequality" can be seen as a composite of
inequality arising from differences in effort and ability,

This economy profile presents the Doing
Business indicators for Iraq. In a series of annual reports,
Doing Business assesses regulations affecting domestic firms
in 189 economies and ranks the economies in 10 areas of
business regulation, such as starting a business, resolving
insolvency and trading across borders. This year's
report data cover regulations measured from June 2012
through May 2013. The report is the 11th edition of the

Kazakhstan aspires to become one of the
world s 30 most developed economies by 2050. The focus is on
laying the basis for the accelerated diversification of the
economy through industrialization and infrastructure
development, including enhancing human capital to drive
innovation and economic efficiency. This country economic
memorandum report adopts an analytical framework that looks
into options that will be explored to help authorities think

Using a newly compiled database of
women's property rights and legal capacity covering 100
countries over 50 years, this paper analyzes the triggers
and barriers to reform. The database documents gender gaps
in the ability to access and own assets, to sign legal
documents in one's own name, and to have equality or
non-discrimination as a guiding principle of the
country's constitution. Progress in reducing these

This economy profile presents the Doing
Business indicators for Palau. In a series of annual
reports, Doing Business assesses regulations affecting
domestic firms in 189 economies and ranks the economies in
10 areas of business regulation, such as starting a
business, resolving insolvency and trading across borders.
This year's report data cover regulations measured from
June 2012 through May 2013. The report is the 11th edition

This paper evaluates the impact of
strengthening legal rights on the types of economic
opportunities that are pursued. Ethiopia changed its family
law, requiring both spouses' consent in the
administration of marital property, removing the ability of
a spouse to deny permission for the other to work outside
the home, and raising women's minimum age of marriage.
Thus both access to resources and the removal of

After decades of turmoil and
instability, a period of calm and progress evolved in
Guinea-Bissau in 2009. A military coup in April 2012
interrupted it. A fresh start is needed to alter the
dynamics that kept Guinea-Bissau poor. In 2013, Gross
National Income per capita was US$590. Average economic
growth barely kept pace with population growth. In 2010,
poverty at the national poverty line of US$2 a day was 70

This economy profile presents the Doing Business indicators for Canada. In a series of annual reports, Doing Business assesses regulations affecting domestic firms in 189 economies and ranks the economies in 10 areas of business regulation, such as starting a business, resolving insolvency and trading across borders. This year's report data cover regulations measured from June 2012 through May 2013. The report is the 11th edition of the Doing Business series.

This economy profile presents the Doing
Business indicators for Macedonia. In a series of annual
reports, Doing Business assesses regulations affecting
domestic firms in 189 economies and ranks the economies in
10 areas of business regulation, such as starting a
business, resolving insolvency and trading across borders.
This year's report data cover regulations measured from
June 2012 through May 2013. The report is the 11th edition