Publication: From Local Practice to National Reform: A Roadmap for Closing Regional Gaps in the European Union Business Environment
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2025-11-20
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2026-01-05
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The efficiency and quality of the business regulatory environment can vary substantially across different locations within a country. In the context of the European Union (EU), such local disparities may hinder regional economic convergence, one of the long-standing pillars of the European integration process. This brief highlights how identifying and promoting good local practices in regulating the business environment can reduce spatial inequality and create economic opportunities. The analysis is based on data collected using the World Bank’s Doing Business methodology between 2017 and 2022. By taking stock of such data, the brief also provides a benchmark for assessing the contributions of new and upcoming assessments of the EU subnational business environment that are currently being conducted though the World Bank’s Business Ready (B-READY) methodology, which replaced and improved upon Doing Business.
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“Rooms, Tommaso. 2025. From Local Practice to National Reform: A Roadmap for Closing Regional Gaps in the European Union Business Environment. Policy Indicator Briefs; No. 37. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/44117 License: CC BY-NC 3.0 IGO.”
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