The role of informal competition in driving export propensity of emerging economy firms

2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 184-203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rouhin Deb ◽  
Harsh Vardhan Samalia ◽  
Santosh Kumar Prusty
Keyword(s):  
World Bank ◽  
Emerging Economy ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The World Bank ◽  
The World ◽  
World Bank Enterprise Survey ◽  
Primary Relationship ◽  
Enterprise Survey

Purpose Competitive pressure from informal firms has always been a threat to the formal enterprises. However, the strategic choices a firm makes to deal with such competitive pressures still remain under-explored. The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of informal competitive pressures in driving export propensity of formal firms. Design/methodology/approach The paper is based on a standard error logistic model, and the model takes into account the contingent relationships along with the primary relationship. The authors draw the sample of 9,812 manufacturing firms spanning across the Indian sub-continent from the World Bank enterprise survey conducted in the year 2014. Findings The empirical results indicated that the level of competition from informal firms is positively associated with the propensity to export. The primary relationship is also affected by various contingent factors such as regulatory obstacles, bribery and new product development. Research limitations/implications Although the World Bank enterprise survey data provide a broad coverage, the study warranted few proxy measures in order to operationalize formal competition as it was not captured directly in the concerned data set. Practical implications The analysis demonstrates that informal competition has direct effect on the firm’s propensity to export. The findings indicate that export is an attractive action alternative for firms facing informal completion in an emerging economy. The results further indicate that this effect strengthens as institutional factors such as regulatory obstacles and bribery increase. Social implications The paper is an attempt to alter the prevailing negative view on informality. The findings indicate that informal competition spurs competitiveness in the formal sector indicating its positive role in the economic growth of the nation. Originality/value The paper takes cue from attention-based view of the firm and the institutional escapism logic to affirm the role of informal competition and various contingent institutional and strategic factors in driving export propensity.

Major obstacles facing business enterprises in an emerging economy: the case of Ghana using the World Bank Enterprise Survey

2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 475-487
Author(s):  
Ibrahim Mohammed ◽  
Alhassan Bunyaminu
Keyword(s):  
World Bank ◽  
Emerging Economy ◽  
Probit Regression ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The World Bank ◽  
The World ◽  
Business Enterprises ◽  
World Bank Enterprise Survey ◽  
Enterprise Survey

PurposeThis paper aims at identifying the major obstacles to business enterprise in an emerging economy and how these obstacles are associated with different characteristics of the enterprises.Design/methodology/approachThe study relied on the World Bank Enterprise Survey data on Ghana and applied binary and ordinal probit regression techniques to estimate the associations between the characteristics of the enterprises and the identified obstacles. Significance testing of the associations is also conducted.FindingsThe five main obstacles perceived by most of the enterprises in the study are access to finance, electricity, access to land, customs and trade regulations and tax rates. These obstacles are associated in different ways to growth rate (high vs low growth), scale (small and medium vs large), age, size of employees, the experience of the top manager and ownership (wholly domestic vs foreign ownership).Research limitations/implicationsAs a cross-sectional study focusing on Ghana, the findings are informative about the major obstacles facing business enterprises in an emerging economy; however, the ecological validity of these findings may be limited to factors specific to Ghana.Originality/valueGiven the representativeness of the Enterprise Survey, policymakers can rely on these findings to formulate useful policies to promote the operations of business enterprises.

What determines financial inclusion in Sub-Saharan Africa?

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 8-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sydney Chikalipah
Keyword(s):  
International Development ◽  
World Bank ◽  
Financial Inclusion ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The World Bank ◽  
The World ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Ssa Countries

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the determinants of financial inclusion (FI) in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Design/methodology/approach The paper uses the World Bank country-level data from 20 SSA countries for the year 2014. Findings The empirical findings in this study indicate that illiteracy is the major hindrance to FI in SSA. The findings provide useful information to government agencies and international development organisations. Also, the findings can help accelerate and strengthen FI strategies among SSA countries. Research limitations/implications Some countries were excluded from the final analysis due to lack of data. Practical implications In the last two decades, there has been renewed interest in fighting financial exclusion in Africa. Therefore, this study provide evidence which clearly shows that enhancing literacy levels in a country can immensely contribute towards building the financially inclusive societies in the SSA region. Originality/value To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first study to empirically test the determinants of FI in SSA using the World Bank FI data set. Furthermore, this is the first attempt to estimate the determinants of FI with a combined data of SSA countries.

MSMEs Productivity in Nigeria

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 114
Author(s):  
Oluseye Samuel Ajuwon ◽  
Sylvanus Ikhide ◽  
Joseph Oscar Akotey
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Survey Data ◽  
World Bank ◽  
Productivity Growth ◽  
Small Businesses ◽  
The World Bank ◽  
The World ◽  
Product Customization ◽  
World Bank Enterprise Survey ◽  
Enterprise Survey

This study uses the World bank enterprise survey data for Nigeria to examines Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) productivity rate in the Nigerian economy. The study explores factors that constrain MSMES output growth in Nigeria. Some of the factors identified include huge infrastructural gap, inadequate institutional support and low access to credit. The resultant effect is a low investment commitment amongst MSMEs thus hampering the productivity of MSMEs in the Nigerian economy. The MSMEs productivity growth rate was measured using annual sales of firms from the World bank enterprise survey data for Nigeria. This research employs the non-parametric variance estimation using the locally-weighted scatterplot smoothing (LOWESS) method on three sets of two-points data (2006 and 2003, 2008 and 2002, and finally 2012 and 2009) of annual fiscal sales for each category of firms comprising micro, small, medium and large firms. The result shows that the small businesses have a negative productivity growth rate in Nigeria. This in line with IFC (2013) which found that small businesses have the least productivity growth rate amongst firms of all sizes. However, this study departs from IFC findings which states that small businesses’ low productivity growth rate is tenable across all the sectors of the economy. The study found that small businesses actually recorded high productivity growth rate in some subsectors of the economy that specializes in product customization such as garment and furniture. Therefore, this study validates the flexible specialization theory that emphases the economic importance of MSMEs in the post-industrial era where product customization is the new order of production. The policy implication of this study is that any targeted intervention in the MSMEs sub-sector of the economy designed to increase productivity, should be channeled into the subsector with the most employee specialization as well as product customization.Keyword(s): MSMEs, small business, Output, Productivity, JEL Classifications: P42 M13 O55

'Mega-foundations' will help global aid programmes

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
International Development ◽  
World Bank ◽  
International Aid ◽  
Large Individual ◽  
Healthcare Education ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The World Bank ◽  
The World ◽  
The Uk

Subject The role of 'mega-foundations' in aid programmes to developing countries. Significance International development has changed with the advent of private-sector 'mega-foundations', which have gained influence in how NGOs operate, how public-private partnerships are formed and how international aid programmes shape domestic policies and agendas. Especially in global health, the rise of mega-foundations has been auspicious and cautionary. In areas of international development assistance such as healthcare, education and agriculture, they have become influencers on par with traditional organisations such as the World Bank and the UK Department for International Development. Impacts Mega-foundations will facilitate programmes in areas once considered too costly for large individual foundations, such as HIV programmes. A sole funder or a few funders will dominate some sectors, particularly when there are low resources. 'Orphan sectors' may see more interest; these are sectors that are currently neglected as too minor by traditional funders. Provision of resources controlled by mega-foundations will allow them to transcend advocacy, engaging in agenda setting and implementation.

scholarly journals Contemporary Female Entrepreneurship in Nicaragua

AD-minister ◽  
2018 ◽  
pp. 5-20
Author(s):  
Michael J Pisani
Keyword(s):  
World Bank ◽  
Formal Sector ◽  
Female Entrepreneurship ◽  
Self Employment ◽  
The World Bank ◽  
Size Constraints ◽  
The World ◽  
Employment Rates ◽  
Enterprise Survey

Women are important entrepreneurial actors within the Nicaraguan economic ecosystem. Majority fe-male-owned firms comprise 32.7% of all urban Nicaraguan formal enterprises; these ownership rates far exceed the regional (21.8%) or global averages (14.5%). Within Nicaragua, self-employment rates for women (43.3%) surpass that of men (28.3%). This article describes the contemporary Nicaraguan entrepreneurial landscape for female-owned enterprises using the 2016 Nicaraguan Enterprise Survey of 333 formal sector urban-based firms conducted by the World Bank. Principal multivariate results include the concentration of female top management with majority female-ownership, the role of the informal sector in spawning formal female enterprises, and size constraints of female-owned enterprises.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document