2010年-世界发展银行全球_Enterprise_Surveys___Pakistan_Country_Profile_2007_15页_1mb

Pakistan Country Profile 2007 Enterprise Survey Summary

Core Content Overview

The Pakistan Country Profile 2007 provides a comprehensive overview of the business environment and firm performance in the country, based on data collected from the Enterprise Surveys conducted by the World Bank and its partner institutions. These surveys cover small, medium, and large firms in the non-agricultural formal private economy, focusing on key areas such as infrastructure, trade, regulations, corruption, crime, finance, innovation, and workforce. The report compares Pakistan's performance with other countries in South Asia and the low-income group, offering insights into the challenges faced by firms and the factors influencing their productivity and growth.

Main Topics and Key Findings

1. Business Environment Obstacles

• The business environment in Pakistan is characterized by various obstacles that hinder firm performance.
• Top 10 Constraints: The report highlights the most significant challenges perceived by firms, benchmarked against regional and income group averages.
• Top 3 Constraints by Firm Size: Large, medium, and small firms face different challenges, particularly in terms of regulatory burden, corruption, and infrastructure delays.

2. Average Firm Characteristics

• The average firm in Pakistan has been in operation for 20.1 years.
• Female Participation: There is limited female participation in management and ownership (only 6.7% and 12.4% respectively).
• Ownership Structure: Sole proprietorships dominate, with 65.7% of firms being partnerships, 11.0% being sole proprietorships, and 9.9% being closed shareholding companies.
• Sectoral Ownership: 98.9% of firms are privately owned, with 0.4% being foreign-owned and 0.7% being government-owned.

3. Infrastructure

• Electricity Supply: Firms in Pakistan experience 34.1 power outages per month, resulting in 9.9% of sales lost due to power failures.
• Water Supply: 25.7 water shortages occur per month, with 12.3 hours of average duration. This leads to 10.0% of sales lost due to water issues.
• Service Delays: There are significant delays in obtaining electrical, water, and telephone connections, which increase operational costs and investment barriers.

4. Trade

• Export Activity: Only 14.3% of firms engage in direct exports, while 17.4% use foreign inputs.
• Customs Delays: The average time to clear direct exports is 4.8 days, and for imports, it is 7.3 days.
• Transport Losses: 0.3% of export value is lost due to breakage or spoilage, and 0.0% due to theft.

5. Regulations, Taxes, and Business Licensing

• Regulatory Burden: Firms spend 2.2% of senior management time dealing with government regulations.
• Tax Inspections: On average, firms have 1.6 visits or meetings with tax officials per year.
• Business Licensing: Import licenses take 14.2 days to obtain, and construction permits take 28.2 days. Operating licenses take 16.4 days.
• Legal Forms: Partnerships are the most common form of business (65.7%), followed by sole proprietorships (11.0%) and closed shareholding companies (9.9%).

6. Corruption

• Graft Index: 41.5% of firms in Pakistan report being asked or expected to pay bribes when seeking public services.
• Gifts to Tax Inspectors: 58.8% of firms expect to give gifts during meetings with tax inspectors.
• Government Contracts: 30.0% of firms expect to give gifts to secure government contracts.
• Construction Permits: 20.9% of firms expect to make informal payments for construction permits.
• Import Licenses: 0.0% of firms expect to give gifts for import licenses.

7. Crime and Informality

• Court Fairness: Only 18.7% of firms believe the court system is fair, impartial, and uncorrupted.
• Security Costs: 1.1% of sales is spent on security.
• Losses Due to Crime: 0.5% of sales is lost due to theft, robbery, vandalism, and arson.
• Informality: 98.9% of firms are privately owned, and 99.8% of small firms are formally registered.

8. Finance

• Internal Finance: 88.8% of firms use internal finance for investment.
• Bank Finance: 8.4% of firms use bank finance for investment.
• Working Capital: 13.7% of firms use external financing for working capital.
• Collateral Requirements: 67.7% of the loan amount is required as collateral.

9. Innovation and Workforce

• Quality Certifications: 9.6% of firms have internationally recognized quality certifications.
• External Audits: 19.4% of firms have annual financial statements reviewed by external auditors.
• Website Use: 94.7% of firms use their own websites.
• Email Usage: 52.7% of firms use email to communicate with clients and suppliers.
• Workforce Composition: 11.5 average temporary workers and 32.5 average permanent full-time workers. 1.2% of firms have full-time female workers.

Key Insights

• Corruption remains a significant issue, with a high incidence of bribe expectations and unofficial payments.
• Infrastructure deficiencies are a major constraint, particularly in terms of power and water supply.
• Regulatory processes are time-consuming and costly, with long delays in obtaining permits and licenses.
• Trade activities are limited, with high customs clearance times and transport-related losses.
• Financial systems are not very developed, with firms relying heavily on internal financing and collateral requirements being high.
• Innovation is low, with only a small percentage of firms having international certifications or external audits.
• Workforce characteristics show a male-dominated structure, with limited female participation in management and full-time employment.

Conclusion

The Enterprise Surveys highlight that Pakistan's business environment is challenging, with significant regulatory, infrastructural, and corruption-related obstacles. These issues affect firm productivity, investment, and market access. Improvements in regulatory efficiency, infrastructure quality, and corruption reduction could enhance the business environment, leading to increased firm performance and economic growth.