World Bank's Doing Business 2008

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The World Bank's annual "Doing Business 2008" has just been released. It provides objective measures of business regulations and their enforcement across 178 countries. The team works closely with thousands of professionals around the world.

Highlights from Doing Business 2008: As countries reform their business regulation, more businesses are starting up. Eastern Europe has witnessed a boom in new business entry that rivals the rapid growth in East Asia in the past. Large emerging markets such as India, China, Egypt, Turkey, and Indonesia, are reforming fast and investors are taking notice. This year Egypt is the top reforming country worldwide, while Singapore is #1 on the ease of doing business for the second consecutive year.

Download report here.

P.S. Separately, just returned moments ago from the 2007 Detroit Regional Chamber Small Business Conference (where at the VIP breakfast, I sat next to Joe Dumars, famed Detroit Pistons player, businessman and current president of the Detroit Pistons' Basketball Operations (I did not even know this!) and will report on all of it soon! Amazing conference.