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Book Cover
E-book
Author Afram, Gabi G. (Gabi George)

Title Nepal's investment climate : leveraging the private sector for job creation and growth / Gabi G. Afram and Angelica Salvi Del Pero
Published Washington, D.C. : World Bank, 2012

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Description 1 online resource (xxi, 246 pages) : illustrations
Series Directions in development. Private sector development
Directions in development (Washington, D.C.). Private sector development.
Contents Acknowledgments; Abbreviations; Structure of the Report; Executive Summary; Why Is the Nepal Investment Climate Assessment Important?; What Do the Survey Results Say about the Investment Climate in Nepal?; What Next? Developing Nepal's Private Sector for Job Creation and Growth; Summary of Recommendations; Tables; 1 Summary of Policy Recommendations; Note; Report Highlights; Introduction; The Nepal Enterprise Survey and Investment Climate Assessment; Boxes; 1 Methodology; Key Features of the Nepalese Private Sector; Figures; 1 Nepalese Real GDP Composition by Sector, FY2008/09
2 Value Added Growth by Sector 1995-2008, Selected South Asian Countries3 Distribution of Registered Firms in Nepal by Age of Firm; Leading Constraints for Nepalese Firms; 2 Cross-Country Comparisons of Firm Performance; 4 Indicators of Innovation and Technology for Nepal and Comparator Countries; 5 Perception of Obstacles Constraining the Investment Climate in Nepal; 6 Investment Climate Obstacles Perceived as Major to Very Severe in Nepal and Comparator Countries; The Main Issues with the Investment Climate in Nepal
7 Costs Associated with Investment Climate Weaknesses in Nepal and Comparator Countries8 Average Number of Days Lost in Nepalese Firms Due to Labor Issues; 9 Power Outages and Water Shortages per Typical Month in Nepal and Comparator Countries; Access to Finance for Firms Needs to Be Expanded; 10 Percentage of Shipments to Domestic Markets Lost Due to Breakage or Spoilage in Nepal and Comparator Countries; 11 Access to Finance in Nepal and Comparator Countries; 12 Reasons Nepalese Firms Did Not Apply for a Line of Credit
Rigid Labor Regulations Require Easing and Labor Relations Need Improving3 Strategies to Increase Access to Finance; 13 Total Number of Skilled and Unskilled Production Workers per Firm in Nepal and Comparator Countries; Governance, Regulations, Licensing, and Informality; 4 Strategies to Ease Labor Regulations and Improve Labor Relations; 14 Time Spent Obtaining Licenses and Dealing with Regulations in Nepal and Comparator Countries; 15 Improvements Nepalese Firms Believe Could Be Obtained by Registering; 16 Investment Climate Obstacles Ranked Most Important for Informal Firms in Nepal
Developing Nepal's External Sector17 Percentage of Exporting and Importing Firms in Nepal and Comparator Countries; Tourism Sector and Potential for Future Growth; 5 Strategies to Increase Trade with India and China; 18 Percentage of Nepalese Tourism Firms Investing to Improve Competitiveness; 6 Strategies to Strengthen the Tourism Sector; Notes; Chapter 1 Introduction; Macroeconomic Environment: Resilient Economy Despite Political Uncertainty, but Risks Lie Ahead; 1.1 Poverty and Social Indicators; 1.1 Nepal Trade Balance and Current Account Balance, 2000-09
Summary The signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2006 and Constituent Assembly elections in 2008 have paved the way for political and economic reform in Nepal. Indeed, the 2009 Investment Climate Assessment (ICA) shows that Nepal's private sector is starting to reap some dividend from the cessation of armed conflict in terms of employment generation, rebounding tourism, increased tax collection, as well as less complex business regulations and procedures to obtain permits. However, Nepal's private sector (already plagued with various market failures) continues to suffer from the consequences of a decade of armed conflict and civil unrest. Poor infrastructure, particularly for transportation and energy, inadequate labor skills and continuous labor unrest, as well as inefficient and unstable credit markets, exacerbate the damage that continued political instability has had on the investment climate. Together political instability and poor infrastructure pose the two greatest challenges to Nepal's investment climate and growth in the private sector. The effects of these challenges on business confidence and economic performance are visible and costly: productions costs are high, business operations and trade are often disrupted, and competitiveness is declining. These structural problems cause low levels of savings and investment resulting in low job creation, which lead millions of Nepalis to seek temporary employment abroad; resulting in remittance flows that are mainly channeled to consumption and asset bubbles. This inflates prices and increases costs to the productive job-creating sector, which loses competitiveness and export markets, prolonging the cycle of mediocre and jobless growth at home. In order for Nepal to kick-start private sector-led growth in Nepal, it has to leverage its potential particularly through strengthening trade with China and India, developing its hydropower resources, and adopting policies to target growth in key sectors such as tourism. Improving Nepal's investment climate and strengthening the private sector will require government initiative to solve many challenges as well as public-private dialogue and partnerships to tackle larger challenges to be addressed over the medium and long-term.--publisher description
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references
Notes English
Subject Investments, Foreign -- Nepal
Labor market -- Nepal
BUSINESS & ECONOMICS -- Economic Conditions.
BUSINESS & ECONOMICS -- Economic History.
BUSINESS & ECONOMICS -- Economics -- Comparative.
POLITICAL SCIENCE -- Economic Conditions.
Economic history
Economic policy
Investments, Foreign
Labor market
SUBJECT Nepal -- Economic conditions
Nepal -- Economic policy
Subject Nepal
Form Electronic book
Author Salvi Del Pero, Angelica.
World Bank.
LC no. 2011052343
ISBN 9780821394663
0821394665
1280074906
9781280074905
9786613520128
6613520128
OTHER TI World Bank e-Library. http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2008015480