2012年-世界发展银行全球_Enterprise_Surveys___Costa_Rica_Country_Profile_2010_15页_967kb

Costa Rica Country Profile 2010 Summary

Core Content Overview

The Costa Rica Country Profile 2010 is part of the Enterprise Surveys conducted by the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation (IFC). These surveys aim to assess the business environment and firm productivity in non-agricultural formal private sectors across different countries. The document provides a comprehensive analysis of key indicators for Costa Rica, benchmarked against regional averages and income groups, covering areas such as corruption, regulations, infrastructure, trade, finance, innovation, and workforce.

Main Topics and Key Findings

Business Environment Obstacles

• The surveys highlight the challenges firms face in their operations.
• The top 10 constraints are identified, with a focus on the regional comparison.
• Large firms report the highest number of constraints compared to small and medium firms.
• Corruption is a major concern, as it increases the cost and risk of doing business.

Average Firm

• The average firm in Costa Rica has been in operation for 20.5 years.
• Female participation in top management is 15.4%, and in ownership is 43.5%.
• Ownership structures show a high percentage of closed shareholding companies (86.8%), with sole proprietorships being the least common (1.6%).

Infrastructure

• Electricity outages are frequent, with 2.8 outages per month on average.
• Power outages result in an average 1.7% loss of sales.
• Water shortages are reported at 4.0 per month, with an average duration of 6.4 hours.
• Delays in obtaining electricity, water, and telephone connections are significant, with 39.0 days for electricity, 40.0 days for water, and 24.8 days for telephone.

Trade

• 13.7% of firms in Costa Rica are exporters.
• 78.5% of firms use foreign material inputs or supplies.
• The average time to clear direct exports through customs is 10.0 days, while for imports it is 13.9 days.
• Losses during exports due to theft and breakage are 0.1% and 0.6%, respectively, which are relatively low compared to regional averages.

Regulations, Taxes, and Business Licensing

• The time spent by senior management dealing with government regulations is 8.4%.
• The average number of visits with tax officials is 0.8.
• The average time to obtain an import license is 17.3 days, and for a construction-related permit, it is 83.4 days.
• Operating licenses take 35.6 days to obtain on average.

Corruption

• The Graft Index in Costa Rica is 5.7, indicating that firms are asked or expected to pay bribes in 5.7% of cases.
• 7.6% of firms are expected to give gifts in meetings with tax inspectors.
• 11.0% of firms expect to give gifts to obtain a construction permit.
• 9.3% of firms expect to give gifts to obtain an operating license.

Crime and Informality

• 31.2% of firms believe the court system is fair, impartial, and uncorrupted.
• Security costs amount to 1.4% of sales, and losses due to crime are 0.3% of sales.
• 80.8% of firms are formally registered when they started operations, indicating a moderate level of informality.

Finance

• Internal finance accounts for 73.9% of investment.
• Bank finance contributes 14.2%, and trade credit is 3.5%.
• Equity and stock sales make up 6.7% of investment.
• External working capital financing is 25.1%.
• The collateral needed for a loan is 251.4% of the loan amount, which is a high burden.
• 56.8% of firms have bank loans or lines of credit.
• 97.5% of firms have checking or savings accounts.

Innovation and Workforce

• 13.3% of firms have internationally recognized quality certification.
• 60.5% of firms have annual financial statements reviewed by an external auditor.
• 54.0% of firms use their own websites.
• 88.6% of firms use email for communication with clients and suppliers.
• Average number of temporary workers is 5.2, while permanent full-time workers average 61.9.
• 29.6% of firms have full-time female workers.

Summary of Key Indicators

Key Takeaways

• Costa Rica is classified as an upper middle-income country in the Latin America & Caribbean region.
• The business environment is generally less favorable compared to regional benchmarks, particularly in terms of corruption, regulatory delays, and infrastructure inefficiencies.
• Large firms face more regulatory and administrative challenges than small and medium firms.
• Corruption is a notable issue, especially in construction and operating permits.
• Infrastructure remains a critical concern, with significant delays and losses due to electricity and water shortages.
• Trade is moderately active, with a notable share of firms using foreign inputs.
• Finance is dominated by internal sources, with high collateral requirements for loans.
• Innovation and digital adoption are moderate, with email and websites being widely used.
• Workforce composition shows a higher proportion of permanent workers in large firms, and gender participation is moderate in management and ownership.