Doing Business in 2004: Understanding Regulation

Rating:
Summary: Why are poor countries poor?
Review: If you want to know the answer to this question, Doing Business in 2004 is your book.

Various eminent scholars have put forth theories as to why the rich countries get richer and the poor stay poor, including theories about culture, religion, geography, climate, trade openness, political regimes, and even accidents of history. Doing Business puts forth a compelling, and much simpler, story. Poor countries stay poor because their governments intervene excessively in business activity, driving entrepreneurs into informality. Growth is retarded, as is democracy, since many people are left in the fringes of economic and social life.

Lots of statistics on starting a business, hiring and firing workers, getting credit, and the like. Makes you appreciate how easy we have it here!