Nuria Moya Guzman (IPS ’13)
World Bank Group Doing Business Project
Washington, D.C.
I was assigned to the Resolving Insolvency Indicator. My first task was to compile the most recent research on resolving insolvency and draft my team’s “new research” section for the 2013 Doing Business Report.
The most interesting part of my internship involved doing research on insolvency regimes across 186 economies, analyzing the data gathered, and writing a Smart Lesson Report for the IFC. The report highlighted four best practices found in economies where the time and cost to resolve insolvency cases is the lowest, and where the recovery rate is the highest. By working on this indicator, I gained in-depth knowledge on insolvency regimes and a better understanding of the importance of a sound insolvency framework to foster innovation and growth.
I had the opportunity to meet the new World Bank President, Dr. Jim Yong Kim, twice over the summer. It was inspiring to hear his vision of development and the new role the Bank will play in it.
It was also interesting to learn about issues of political economy surrounding the Doing Business Project. One of the most heated debates among the Bank’s Board of Directors was the Doing Business ranking of economies. Powerful countries such as China, India, Brazil, and Indonesia that rank poorly in Doing Business indicators argue that the Bank should not be in the business of ranking its own shareholders. However, countries that rank more favorably argue that rankings are a powerful tool to nudge governments to improve their business environment and strengthen their institutions and rule of law. Given these opposing views, Dr. Kim decided to create a commission of experts to conduct a detailed examination of the issues surrounding the ranking of economies at the Doing Business Project.
