DEC Global Indicators Group

Expert insights on private sector development

New initiative

Measuring the Size and Evolution of the Informal Economy

We are excited to announce that the Development Economics Global Indicators Group has launched a new initiative to estimate critical metrics related to the informal economy.
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DECIG event

Watch re-play: What's Holding Back the Private Sector? Understanding the Business Experience through Enterprise Surveys

Hear from prominent academics and practitioners about experiences of the private sector, new opportunities in the measurement of the business environment, and policy implications obtained from the latest World Bank Enterprise Surveys data on 50 economies.
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We collect time-use data for entrepreneurs and their workers in over 1,000 manufacturing firms in urban Uganda. Given how firms are organized internally, the benefits from alleviating other frictions that constrain firm growth are muted: most African firms resemble artisanal workshops whose business model is not easily scalable.

Presentation slides

Does digitalization have a role to play in encouraging businesses to formalize? Improving the business environment is key for countries to achieve formalization, and digitalization is an important tool to make it happen.

Global Indicators Seminar Series
The series invites leading researchers in development economics and public policy to present their recent work in an academic-style seminar format.
Women, Business and the Law hosts and participates in events to engage policymakers, researchers, CSOs, and other practitioners on the topic of women's economic empowerment. Watch the replay for recent events.
Business Ready Methodology Workshops
The Business Ready (B-READY) team is conducting a series of two-day methodology workshops worldwide. Their main purpose is to provide a detailed presentation on the project��s methodology, including overall scope and topic-specific information. The workshops will also serve to raise awareness about this new benchmarking initiative and disseminate its potential for reform advocacy, policy advice, and development research.