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The World Bank compiles rankings for 183 economies around the globe, based on such categories as the ease of starting a business, dealing with construction permits, paying taxes and a bunch of other things. Here's the rundown on Haiti (numbers are based on a scale from 1-183, with 183 being the worst):
Doing Business 151
Starting a Business 180
Dealing with Construction Permits 126
Employing Workers 28
Getting Credit 135
Protecting Investors 165
Paying Taxes 99
Trading Across Borders 144
Enforcing Contracts 92
Closing a Business 155
It takes an average of 195 days to start a business, 1,179 days to get a construction permit, 405 days to register property, and 508 days to enforce a contract (from the moment a plaintiff files the lawsuit until actual payment). The irony is that the earthquake is likely to step up economic activity for years to come.
Mark Lacter created the LA Biz Observed blog in 2006. He posted
until the day before his death on Nov. 13, 2013.