Please note that FIAS reports are confidential to its clients, who decide on their distribution.
COUNTRY | FISCAL YEAR | TYPE of PROJECT | DESCRIPTION |
| Afghanistan | 2004 | Investment policy: Law | Reviewed the Investment Law for Annual General Meeting Workshop on Afghanistan Trade and Investment. |
| Afghanistan | 2002 | Investment policy/ Diagnostic | Advised on the investment climate including the investment law, company registration procedures, licensing, taxation and other incentives and produced a situation analysis of the private sector to aid in developing a longer term roadmap for World Bank assistance to the private sector. |
| ASEAN | 1990 | Incentives | Prepared a study of investment incentives and destructive competition for foreign direct investment (FDI) in Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the implications for harmonization and cooperation. |
| ASEAN | 1988 | Investment policy | Provided suggestions on incentive harmonization for the ASEAN member states at the Secretariat's request. |
| Bangladesh | 2007 | Institutions | FIAS together with IFC-SEDF, identified key private sector development indicators to facilitate PSD vision and initiate the institutionalization of a monitoring and evaluation system of the PSD reform process in Bangladesh. |
| Bangladesh | 2007 | Institutions | FIAS conducted a stakeholder analysis and designed a communications strategy to act as an example of how to institutionalize the PSD regulatory reform process in Bangladesh. |
| Bangladesh | 2006 | Administrative Barriers | FIAS, together with SEDF, explored the rationale for Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA), widely recognized as an important mechanism which can contribute to improving the business environment. FIAS suggested options and recommendations for a gradual implementation of RIA, and exposed stakeholders in the public and private sector to the process through pilot workshops. |
| Bangladesh | 2006 | Administrative Barriers | FIAS and SEDF jointly assisted the government of Bangladesh to take a “whole of government” approach to develop a strategy to generate private investor interest through analyzing the political economy of PSD reform in Bangladesh, evaluating stakeholder interests, and developing a communication strategy on PSD issues. |
| Bangladesh | 2006 | Administrative Barriers | The FIAS-SEDF joint venture implemented the first Bangladesh Administrative Barriers Review (ABR), which targeted 6 carefully-selected administrative processes for review, demonstrating to the government of Bangladesh and other stakeholders one particular methodology for analyzing barriers to investment and for identifying and agreeing on possible reforms aimed at achieving improvements to the overall investment climate. |
| Bangladesh | 2006 | Investment Laws, Policies, & Promotion | As part of the Institutionalizing the PSD Reform Process project, FIAS and SEDF created a “PSD Core Group” in order to create broad-based Government ownership of a complex and multi-faceted investment climate reform agenda in a challenging political environment. Formed in March 2005 and made up of 37 mid-level civil servants, the Core Group draws from 17 private sector facing Government ministries and agencies. |
| Bangladesh | 2006 | Investment Laws, Policies, & Promotion | At the request of the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister and the Chair of the Board of Investment, FIAS, in conjunction with SEDF, developed a series of options for modernizing Bangladesh’s economic zones regime, with an emphasis on enabling privately developed and managed sites under a regulatory framework that separates public ownership from regulation. |
| Bangladesh | 2005 | Incentives | Reviewed the BOI investment strategy and assessed the effective tax rates. |
| Bangladesh | 2005 | Investment policy: Economic Zones | Assessed key Special Eco Zones and regulatory reform needs and advocated appropriate solutions, in order to attract more export-oriented FDI, and generate pro-poor growth in the country. |
| Bangladesh | 2003 | Promotion Strategy | Assisted the Board of Investment (BOI) to develop its first investment promotion strategy, principally by way of conducting a strategic planning workshop for the management and senior staff. |
| Bangladesh | 1993 | Diagnostic | Examined the policy, regulatory and incentive regime affecting private investment and made recommendations for improvements. |
| Bangladesh | 1993 | Institutions | Provided assistance to the BOI on organizational structure and functions, operating procedures, personnel policy and establishing a framework for investment promotion through the production of promotional materials. |
| Bangladesh | 1990 | Diagnostic | FIAS updated its 1988 diagnostic review at the government's request. |
| Bangladesh | 1990 | Institutions | Assisted in strengthening the institutional capacity of the BOI. |
| Bangladesh | 1988 | Diagnostic | Conducted a diagnostic review of the obstacles to increased flows of FDI. |
| Bhutan | 2005 | Investment Laws/Regulations | Amended the FDI Rules and Regulations. |
| Bhutan | 2004 | Institutions | Recommended an institutional structure that will support the government's efforts to attract and manage inward FDI and designed a package of technical assistance that will support the establishment of this structure. |
| Bhutan | 2003 | Investment policy | Operationalized Bhutan's first investment policy decree by assisting with the preparation of drafts of rules, regulations, procedures, and criteria. |
| Bhutan | 2002 | Investment policy | Assisted the government in drafting an Investment Policy Statement. |
| Bhutan | 2002 | Investment policy | Focused on the implications of the draft of a previously prepared investment policy. |
| Bhutan | 2002 | Investment policy | Provided an assessment of the FDI prospects for the proposed private sector development priorities in the context of the existing regulatory environment and proposed foreign investment law. |
| Bhutan | 2001 | Investment policy | Reviewed a draft investment policy statement. |
| Cambodia | 2007 | Administrative Barriers [Implementation] | FIAS assisted the government of Cambodia in the design and construction of a customs duty suspension scheme. |
| Cambodia | 2007 | Sector (Tourism) | FIAS conducted a tourism sector study at the request of the Ministry of Tourism of Cambodia to review the strengths and weaknesses of the country's tourism sector; identify its contribution to growth and job creation; identify the key constraints to the sector’s further development; and provide concrete recommendations to address the problems. |
| Cambodia | 2006 | Administrative Barriers | With co-funding from the Agence Francaise de Developpement in Phnom Penh, FIAS assisted the Cambodia Investment Board in the design and implementation of a Duty Suspension Scheme for exporters in targeted sectors. |
| Cambodia | 2005 | Corporate Social Responsibility | Assisted the Ministry of Commerce and the garment industry to move away from current dependence on a quota-focused strategy towards a more market-led and sustainable strategy. |
| Cambodia | 2005 | Investment policy: Law | Assisted the Royal Government of Cambodia in the preparation of amendments to the Sub-Decrees. |
| Cambodia | 2005 | Promotion Strategy | Prepared a strategic plan, and provided legal assistance & implementation assistance. |
| Cambodia | 2004 | Investment policy: Law | Assisted the government in preparing implementing regulations to the Amended Law on Investment by producing draft guidelines. |
| Cambodia | 2002 | Investment policy: Law | Provided inputs to an official position paper for proposed amendments to the Investment Law. |
| Cambodia | 2001 | Incentives | Helped the government assess the revenue implications for different scenarios being considered by government under proposals to amend the investment incentives regime. |
| Cambodia | 2001 | Investment policy/Incentives | Assisted the government in moving from discretionary, expectation-based investment incentives to automatic performance-based incentives available to all qualifying investments; assisted by preparing draft guidelines to amend the appropriate legislation. |
| Cambodia | 2000 | Incentives | Assisted the government in moving from discretionary, expectation-based investment incentives to automatic, performance based-incentives to offer a competitive general tax environment to all investors. |
| Cambodia | 1997 | Incentives | Assisted in developing a system for monitoring investment incentives granted to foreign investors. |
| Cambodia | 1994 | Investment policy: Law | Helped in the preparation of a new foreign investment law. |
| China | 2007 | Administrative Barriers [Implementation] | FIAS, together with the IFC Facility in China and IFC's SME department, advised and conducted implementation activities promoting the development of China’s new secured transactions law. |
| China | 2007 | Corporate Social Responsibility | FIAS assisted the Shenzhen Provincial Government in developing a corporate social responsibility framework for its ICT industry and helped local suppliers build capacity to meet new international social and environmental standards. |
| China | 2007 | Sector (Tourism) | FIAS, together with the IFC Facility in China and CSM, conducted a study of Sichuan's tourism sector to identify the sector's market, and policy and regulatory constraints to development. |
| China | 2006 | Investment Laws, Policies, & Promotion | The project, conducted by the Ministry of Commerce, FIAS and MIGA, consisted of the diagnostic phase of developing a national and local capacity to improve the investment climate of, and to attract investment to, the Western and Central regions, which are among the poorer regions of China. |
| China | 2005 | Access to Credit | Provided advice and recommendations for the development of a modern regime for secured transactions (collateral) that will allow for efficient taking and enforcing security over movable assets. |
| China | 2005 | Administrative Barriers: Liaoning Province | Conducted a review of the administrative barriers to investment for Liaoning Province, with the aim of identifying problems in the regulatory procedures that deter investment and searching for ways to remove these barriers. |
| China | 2005 | Diagnostic: Liaoning Province | Performed a diagnosis of the policy, legal & institutional frameworks in order to attract FDI to Liaoning Province. |
| China | 2005 | Promotion Strategy | A joint FIAS-MIGA review of the draft national investment promotion policy prepared by the Minister of Commerce, followed by its discussion in a workshop to be helped in Beijing in July 2004. |
| China | 2004 | Promotion Strategy | Held workshop with government officials from Northeast China on improving the business climate to attract FDI to the region. |
| China | 2002 | Promotion Strategy: Shaanxi Province | Assisted the government in drafting an Investment Promotion Strategy for Shaanxi Province. |
| China | 2000 | Promotion Strategy | Provided guidance in the development of a national foreign investment promotion program. |
| China | 1999 | FDI Database | Completed work on establishing a system for collecting FDI data. |
| China | 1998 | Investment policy | Assisted the government in assessing the impact of the East Asian financial crisis on FDI flows to China and advised on changes in FDI policy that would better suit new trends. |
| China | 1998 | Investment policy: Seminar | Arranged presentations on the effect of antitrust laws and practices on FDI and how other transition economies have dealt with competition policy. |
| China | 1997 | FDI Database | Reviewed the existing FDI data sources, definition and classification, and made recommendations to strengthen the FDI data statistical system. |
| China | 1997 | Investment policy | Assisted in the preparation of new regulations on the treatment of branches of foreign firms. |
| China | 1996 | Promotion Strategy: Sichuan Province | Drafted a report on the relationship between investment environment and investment promotion in the Sichuan Province, and helped organize a Roundtable in Chengdu on the same subject for the benefit of Provincial authorities. |
| China | 1996 | Sector: Infrastructure BOT (Implementation) | Assisted in finalizing new regulations governing the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) approval procedures, bidding documents, and model contracts. |
| China | 1995 | Sector: Infrastructure | Reviewed the policy implications of promoting FDI investment in the infrastructure sector. |
| China | 1994 | Investment policy: Screening/Approval | Conducted a review of screening and approval procedures. |
| China | 1992 | Diagnostic | Conducted a review of the foreign investment environment. |
| China | 1989 | Investment policy | Provided advice on reconciling the conflicting objectives of the joint-ventures foreign exchange balance requirements and the desire to increase flows of FDI. |
| China | 1987 | Diagnostic | Prepared a diagnostic review of the foreign investment climate, together with IBRD. |
| China | 1987 | Investment policy | Assisted in the preparation of a new contractual joint venture law. |
| China | 1986 | Investment policy: Seminar | Conducted a seminar in Beijing for senior Chinese officials involved in the planning, approval and monitoring of FDI. |
| East Timor | 2004 | Institutions | Evaluated a proposal for the establishment of an investment promotion agency (IPA) for inclusion in a World Bank aide memoir, which was discussed and agreed with the East Timor government. |
| East Timor | 2004 | Investment Policy: Law | Reviewed and commented on the draft External Investment Law and the draft Domestic Investment Law. |
| East Timor | 2003 | Investment Policy | Participated in a World Bank mission to review the environment for private sector investment and reviewed progress on the development of the commercial legal environment and implementation of a Bank Technical Assistance project to assist in the development of an appropriate commercial legal environment. |
| East Timor | 2003 | Investment policy: Law | Conducted a desk review of a draft Investment Law. |
| East Timor | 2001 | Diagnostic | Performed a preliminary diagnostic of the environment for foreign investment and designed a foreign investment code appropriate for the environment. |
| East Timor | 2001 | Investment policy: Law | Participated in a mission for and contributed to the preparation of a Country Economic Memorandum, concurrently providing inputs to the design of a technical assistance project for strengthening the commercial legal environment. |
| Fiji | 2007 | Administrative Barriers [Implementation] | FIAS assisted in implementing reform changes within the Fiji government agencies' administrative processes to deliver quantitative and qualitative improvements in investment approvals processing time and costs for the private sector investor. |
| Fiji | 2006 | Investment Laws, Policies, & Promotion | FIAS, in collaboration with the World Bank, undertook a diagnostic study to support reform addressing the regulatory constraints facing business. |
| Fiji | 2006 | Investment Laws, Policies, & Promotion | This project was the solution design and implementation phase of the above project (Investment Approvals Reform Program) to support reform addressing the regulatory constraints facing business. |
| Fiji | 2005 | Promotion Strategy | Assisted in the implementation of FIA law reforms for Fiji Trade Investment Board. |
| Fiji | 2004 | Investment policy | Assisted with appropriate policy and legislative recommendations for amendments and changes to the 1999 Foreign Investment Act and subsequently supported passage of the amended legislation through the Cabinet and Parliament. |
| Fiji | 2002 | Incentives (Implementation) | Assisted with implementing the Duty Suspension Scheme. |
| Fiji | 2000 | Incentives | Assisted the government in reforming its investments incentives system to provide an investment-friendly tax regime that is transparent and nondiscretionary. |
| Fiji | 1998 | Incentives | Helped the government implement previous recommendations on modifying and eliminating investment incentives that were not cost effective. |
| Fiji | 1998 | Institutions: Training | Conducted a training program to strengthen the Investment Promotion Agency's investment promotion skills. |
| Fiji | 1998 | Investment policy: Law | Assisted in preparing the new Foreign Investment Act, including drafting guidelines and reviewing the investment dispute resolution process. |
| Fiji | 1994 | Incentives | Conducted an examination of the incentives framework. |
| Fiji | 1994 | Investment policy/ Institutions | Reviewed the institutional arrangements for FDI and assisted in the preparation of a new investment act. |
| Greater Mekong Subregion | 1996 | Institutions/ Promotion strategy | Assisted in the first meeting of promotion agencies and helped them in conceptualizing the nature and the scope of their regional cooperation. |
| India | 2007 | Competition Policy | FIAS, in collaboration with the World Bank South Asia country department, assisted the Competition Commission of India in providing technical assistance and in building in-house capacity for CCI by conducting competition and regulatory impact assessments of selected key sectors of the Indian economy. |
| India | 2004 | Investment policy | Organized and conducted a workshop on the impact, effectiveness, and good practice of Export Processing Zones (EPZs). |
| India | 2000 | Diagnostic/Promotion strategy | Surveyed Andhra Pradesh's state-level entry procedures for foreign investment, fiscal incentives offered to investors, and arrangements in place for investment promotion. |
| India | 1993 | Diagnostic/ Promotion strategy | Conducted a comparative assessment of foreign investment policies and assisted in the formulation of a foreign investment promotional strategy. |
| Indonesia | 2007 | Corporate Social Responsibility | FIAS assisted the Indonesian administration’s national campaign against illegal logging by generating a set of policy recommendations to encourage increased forest certification. |
| Indonesia | 2007 | Diagnostic | FIAS conducted a study of Indonesia's shrimp and textile sectors to identify options for addressing policy and institutional impediments in the investment climate, in particular those that constrain Indonesian exports in these two sectors. |
| Indonesia | 2007 | Investment policy | Working jointly with PEP Aceh/Nias, through the Aceh Agency for Reconstruction and Rehabilitation, FIAS assisted in preparing a regional investment policy statement and an outline regional investment law in Aceh. |
| Indonesia | 2007 | Investment policy | FIAS assisted the Indonesian Ministry of Trade in finalizing the implementation of regulations for the new investment law, relevant administrative procedures, and a strategic framework for investor problem solving. |
| Indonesia | 2006 | Investment Laws, Policies, & Promotion | Working closely with IFC/PENSA and PEP Aceh/Nias, FIAS conducted a rapid response mini-diagnostic of the Aceh/Nias investment climate. |
| Indonesia | 2006 | Investment Laws, Policies, & Promotion | Working jointly with PEP Aceh/Nias, and through the Aceh Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Agency (BRR), FIAS delivered a half-day investment law workshop covering basic good practice in relation to investment coverage, registration, the use of negative lists, incentives, regulation, and promotion. |
| Indonesia | 2006 | Investment Laws, Policies, & Promotion | FIAS provided advice through an Investment Incentives Review and Policy Seminar to the Ministry of Trade on international best practices for the provision of fiscal and non-fiscal incentives for investors. |
| Indonesia | 2006 | Investment Laws, Policies, & Promotion | FIAS, working through the World Bank in Jakarta, provided a range of working papers, guidance notes, and drafting guidelines in support of the new Investment Law. |
| Indonesia | 2006 | Industry Competitiveness | In cooperation with IFC/PENSA, FIAS provided strategic advice to the Indonesian Directorate General of Geology and Mineral Resources on the promotion of backward linkages between the mining industries and local suppliers of goods and services. |
| Indonesia | 2006 | Administrative Barriers | FIAS worked in partnership with IFC PENSA-SMEs facility in Indonesia to provide technical assistance to improve business regulations and administrative procedures at the sub-national level in Indonesia; that is at regencies (Kabupaten) and municipalities (Kota) levels. |
| Indonesia | 2005 | Administrative Barriers | Prepared a desk-research based paper that was presented to the Government of Indonesia and other donors, examining ways of reducing Indonesia’s lengthy (151 days) business start-up procedures. |
| Indonesia | 2003 | Institutions | Provided advice on the establishment of the proposed National Investment Team in association with the Asian Development Bank. |
| Indonesia | 2002 | Investment policy: Law | Provided a desk review of a draft of a proposed new investment law. |
| Indonesia | 2001 | Administrative Barriers | Assisted in redesigning an implementation project that had been based on previous FIAS recommendations. |
| Indonesia | 2001 | Diagnostic | Examined the potential problems and recommended ways of addressing the issues identified based on the proposed devolution of authority from the national government to the third level (district) governments. |
| Indonesia | 2000 | Administrative Barriers | Designed a program to overcome administrative and other barriers to the flow of FDI for the Eastern Provinces. |
| Indonesia | 1999 | Diagnostic: Approvals/Licenses | Examined the various permits and licenses required to establish foreign-owned enterprises. |
| Indonesia | 1998 | Administrative Barriers | Reviewed impediments to FDI in the Eastern Provinces and identified ways provincial and district authorities could address them. Also reviewed investment opportunities for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the Eastern Provinces. |
| Indonesia | 1996 | Backward linkages II | Reviewed the policy aspects of developing backward linkages between foreign and domestic firms. |
| Indonesia | 1996 | Institutions: FDI database | Reviewed the existing FDI data sources, definition and classification, and the inter-agency collaboration, making recommendations to improve data collection, quality, coverage, and consistency. |
| Indonesia | 1995 | Backward linkages | Reviewed the policy aspects of developing backward linkages between foreign and domestic firms. |
| Indonesia | 1995 | Investment policy | Conducted an extensive survey on further liberalization of ownership and control restrictions. |
| Indonesia | 1991 | Institutions | Assisted in the formulation of an investment promotion strategy and, more specifically, the roles of the national and regional investment institutions in that strategy. |
| Indonesia | 1990 | Promotion strategy | Reviewed policy and regulatory impediments to foreign investment in the agricultural sector with the intent of increasing such investment. |
| Indonesia | 1989 | Sector (Agriculture) | Conducted a review of impediments to FDI in the agricultural sector. |
| Indonesia | 1988 | Diagnostic | Reviewed the regulatory framework for foreign investment, together with IBRD. |
| Kiribati | 1997 | Diagnostic | Conducted a diagnostic review of the investment climate. |
| Lao PDR | 2005 | Investment policy: Law | Held workshop to increase awareness of key issues by the foreign investment law drafting committee. |
| Lao PDR | 1992 | Investment policy: Economic Zones | Reviewed the feasibility of an export processing zone to promote FDI. |
| Malaysia | 2003 | Backward linkages | Evaluated the spillover effects from multinational companies to local suppliers over the past decade. A presentation was made to government officials and the main findings were integrated into the assessment of their global strategy for maximizing the positive impact of FDI. |
| Malaysia | 1994 | Institutions | Helped the Industrial Development Authority to strengthen its promotional and facilitation functions. |
| Malaysia | 1992 | Incentives | Conducted a comparative assessment of the investment incentive system. |
| Malaysia | 1992 | Institutions | Helped the Industrial Development Authority design a system to monitor FDI. |
| Malaysia | 1988 | Institutions | Helped the Ministry of Trade and Industry officials improve techniques for the economic evaluation of foreign investment proposals. |
| Maldives | 2003 | Investment policy/Institutions | Reviewed existing investment laws and implementation guidelines, and commented on the current institutional arrangements for investment promotion. |
| Maldives | 1994 | Diagnostic | Conducted a diagnostic study of the investment climate. |
| Marshall Islands | 2006 | Administrative Barriers | In association with the ADB, FIAS examined investment-related problems that foreign investors experience in dealing with the variety of administrative authorities, processes and procedures at various stages in the investment process. |
| Marshall Islands | 2004 | Investment policy | Helped the government to review, refine, and update its national investment policy statement, which clarified policy regarding investment as well as its intended policy changes relating to investments, particularly FDI. |
| Marshall Islands | 1998 | Incentives | Reviewed the current investment incentive scheme. |
| Marshall Islands | 1998 | Investment policy: Law | Prepared guidelines for amending the Foreign Investment Business License Act, the Protection of Resident Workers Act, and the Business Corporations Act. |
| Marshall Islands | 1996 | Diagnostic | Conducted a diagnostic review of the investment climate. |
| Micronesia | 2000 | Investment policy: Law | Conducted a comprehensive FDI legislative review and provided advice on revisions to individual state legislation. |
| Micronesia | 1999 | Investment policy: Law | Assisted in the development of state FDI legislation. |
| Micronesia | 1997 | Investment policy: Law (Implementation) | Assisted in the implementation of earlier recommendations for a revised legal framework to attract foreign investment. |
| Micronesia | 1995 | Investment policy | Focused on the appropriate legislative framework to attract FDI. |
| Mongolia | 2003 | Investment policy/Institutions | Provided elementary investment promotion training for staff from the national Investment Promotion Agency (IPA) and helped with the preparation of a new Investment Policy Statement. |
| Mongolia | 2001 | Investment policy: Law | Reviewed a draft of a new investment law, providing written commentary and a briefing for a Mongolian delegation. |
| Mongolia | 1999 | Promotion strategy | Assisted in the implementation of an investment promotion strategy as a follow-up to a previous project. |
| Mongolia | 1998 | Institutions: Training | Organized training for the Foreign Investment Board staff and helped strengthen the investor servicing unit. |
| Mongolia | 1998 | Investment policy: Law | Reviewed and commented on the draft FDI law. |
| Mongolia | 1997 | Investment policy: Law | Helped in the revision of the investment law. |
| Mongolia | 1997 | Promotion strategy | Drafted a report and organized a Roundtable on the relationship between investment environment and investment promotion. |
| Mongolia | 1993 | Diagnostic | Conducted a diagnostic review of the investment climate. |
| Nepal | 2007 | Diagnostic | Through the use of the investment climate mini-diagnostic, a quick-response tool developed by FIAS, FIAS identified critical regulatory constraints to private investment; proposed reform options; gauged whether conditions exist for sustainable implementation of proposed solutions; and assessed the scope of and helped frame subsequent technical assistance in Nepal. |
| Nepal | 2007 | Special economic zones | FIAS, together with IFC-SEDF, supported a detailed review of the Special Economic Zone Act and recommended reforms based on international good practice, including private sector participation in development and operations; removing export obligations; permitting a wider range of activities; removing fiscal incentives; creating a stable and efficient regulatory environment; introducing labor regulation flexibility while upholding labor rights; adopting a clear institutional structure; and enforcing market-based site location and pricing. A short exposure visit to Bangladesh's EPZs was also undertaken for key officials from the Nepal SEZ Project Office. |
| Nepal | 1999 | Sector: Infrastructure | Examined the legal and institutional framework for FDI in the country's infrastructure. |
| Nepal | 1997 | Incentives | Reviewed the incentives regime and the legal framework for foreign investment. |
| Nepal | 1993 | Diagnostic | Conducted a diagnostic review of the investment climate. |
| Pakistan | 2006 | Industry Competitiveness | FIAS, in collaboration with the World Bank’s PSD Department, led a pilot VCA study in Pakistan to identify the critical policy and regulatory constraints to increased competitiveness of key sectors - dairy, mining, fisheries, garments, auto parts – by tracing the costs of representative products from the sourcing of raw materials to delivery of the final product in the market. Results from this project can be seen in the World Bank’s Growth and Competitiveness Report, the NWFP Economic Report, and the Rural Development Report. |
| Pakistan | 2005 | Administrative Barriers | Provided the Government with a registration and licensing regime in light of the costs it imposes on potential investors. Based on the results of an Administrative and Regulatory Costs Survey (ARCS), business focus groups, and meetings with key government ministries, detailed recommendations were presented for removing the critical administrative bottlenecks to investment. |
| Pakistan | 2005 | Diagnostic | Defined the scope of a series of four service sector analyses. This involved: (i) preparation of an Aide Memoire detailing informed hypotheses on the key policy and institutional issues constraining productive investments; (ii) development of a Project Design Document to guide the Government in undertaking a comprehensive diagnostic of factors constraining productivity and, subsequently, the design and implementation of solutions for these sectors; and (iii) a Workshop for GoP stakeholders to discuss the economic case for productivity in Pakistan, and outline how best to move forward on reform, including by identifying candidates for a Government team to drive the sectoral analysis and reform processes. |
| Pakistan | 2004 | Administrative Barriers | Prepared a PSD strategy for the Northwest Frontier Province. |
| Pakistan | 1999 | Investment Policy/Institutions | Reviewed the country's FDI policy and assessed the investment promotion agency. |
| Pakistan | 1994 | Institutions | Completed a comprehensive technical assistance program by advising the newly established Pakistan Investment Board on investment facilitation. |
| Pakistan | 1994 | Promotion strategy | Assisted in the development of a promotion strategy. |
| Pakistan | 1993 | Institutions | Developed a strategy to strengthen the Pakistan Investment Board. |
| Pakistan | 1992 | Diagnostic | Conducted a diagnostic study of the investment climate. |
| Pakistan | 1990 | Diagnostic | Reviewed the role of government in attracting FDI. |
| Palau | 2003 | Investment policy: Law | Undertook a desk review of the draft implementing regulations for the FDI Bill. |
| Palau | 2002 | Investment policy: Law | Supplied support documentation to the Chamber of Commerce and reviewed the government-prepared draft FDI Bill. |
| Palau | 2001 | Investment policy: Law | Reviewed draft legislation for new foreign investment act and provided comments and recommendations for enhancements. |
| Palau | 1999 | Diagnostic | Prepared an assessment of the country's foreign investment climate. |
| Papua New Guinea | 2004 | Diagnostic | Conducted an independent review of the current status of the FDI environment, with prioritized recommendations on practical actions that could improve the investment climate. |
| Papua New Guinea | 1989 | Investment policy: Law | Prepared a revision of the investment law. |
| Philippines | 2006 | Investment Laws, Policies, & Promotion | With inputs from MIGA, FIAS provided assistance with the development of a foreign investment retention, expansion and diversification (RED) program with the Board of Investments. |
| Philippines | 2005 | Linkages/Spillover | Examined linkages that occur following a foreign investment and to assess the subsequent flow-on impacts and policy constraints to such linkages and flow-ons. |
| Philippines | 2002 | Incentives/Investment Policy | Conducted a review of the country's investment incentives legislation. |
| Philippines | 2000 | Administrative Barriers | Designed a process for implementing the recommendations previously provided to the local government in Mindanao, specifying the institutional arrangements necessary and defining the broad terms of reference for the main agencies and players involved. |
| Philippines | 1999 | Diagnostic | Identified impediments to foreign investment at the local government-level in Mindanao and examined possible remedies. |
| Philippines | 1997 | Sector: Infrastructure | Reviewed the policy implications of promoting FDI in the infrastructure sector. |
| Philippines | 1996 | Institutions | Helped define an institutional framework and strategy for investment promotion. |
| Philippines | 1995 | Backward linkages II | Reviewed the policy aspects of developing backward linkages between foreign and domestic firms. |
| Philippines | 1992 | Backward linkages | Conducted a study designed to identify opportunities for, and impediments to, backward linkages between foreign and local firms. |
| Philippines | 1992 | Institutions | Assisted in the reorientation of the BOIs from regulation to promotion of investment. |
| Philippines | 1991 | Promotion strategy | Assisted in the preparation of a new investment promotion strategy. |
| Philippines | 1990 | FDI database | Provided recommendations for improvements to the FDI database. |
| Philippines | 1989 | Investment policy: Swaps | Helped the Central Bank assess whether the country should resume its debt-equity swaps program. |
| Philippines | 1988 | Sector (Agriculture) | Helped the Department of Agriculture and Food determine how policy and institutional changes could stimulate domestic and foreign private investment to help reduce post-harvest losses of grains. |
| Regional | 2000 | Diagnostic | Conducted a study of impediments to cross-border trade and investment in the Tumen region. |
| Regional (Pacific) | 2006 | Investment Laws, Policies, & Promotion | FIAS presented two sessions, one on enhancing the investment policy environment, and one on the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency’s global benchmarking survey on the performance of investment promotion agencies (IPAs) at the 2005 HIPAM meeting. |
| Regional (Pacific) | 2006 | Administrative Barriers | As part of a regional program focused on Administrative Barriers, FIAS and the World Bank worked with the government of Tonga to identify investment-related problems that foreign investors experience in dealing with the variety of administrative authorities, processes and procedures at various stages in the investment process. |
| Regional (Pacific) | 2005 | Institutions | Managed, supervised, and provided guidance to the content development consultant contracted by the Commonwealth Secretariat. Provided technical advisory assistance on content development issues. |
| Regional (Pacific) | 2004 | Investment policy | Gathered information on a cross-section of screening practices and approvals mechanisms used by Pacific Island countries and examined their impact on foreign investment decisions and investment flows in the Pacific region. |
| Regional (Pacific) | 2004 | Investment policy | Prepared monitoring and evaluation review and report on the changes and progress made by Pacific Forum Island Countries (FICs) in adopting and implementing investment policies that comply with APEC non-binding investment principles and suggested options that could be adopted by FICs in their ongoing effort to enhance the implementation of policies to comply with the APEC Principles. |
| Regional (Pacific) | 2004 | Linkages | Examined the impact of investment-related policies and programs and their impact on the creation and development of linkages between foreign investors and domestic businesses, especially small and micro businesses in two Pacific Forum Island Countries (FICs) as well as identified linkages that occur following a foreign investment and assessed their subsequent flow-on impacts. Provided broad recommendations for FICs to promote, widen and deepen economic linkages. |
| Regional (Pacific) | 2003 | Institutions | Prepared and presented papers on investor fraud and private-public partnerships, as well as providing general support to the Forum Secretariat for this regional meeting. |
| Regional (Pacific) | 2003 | Institutions: Training | Conducted the last in a series of training programs for staff from Pacific IPAs, this course dealt with data collection and management. |
| Regional (Pacific) | 2002 | Institutions | Assisted with agenda and technical content of meeting, presented and discussed papers, and provided training course on strategic planning. |
| Regional (Pacific) | 2001 | Institutions | Assisted the Forum Secretariat in setting the program, prepared a paper on investor screening, made a presentation on joint ventures, and actively participated in the meeting. |
| Regional (Pacific) | 2001 | Investment policy | Prepared a report entitled "International Dispute Resolution Conventions" for consideration by Ministers and for inclusion in the official Forum Economic Ministers Meeting papers. |
| Regional (Pacific) | 2001 | Investment policy | Assisted consultants contracted through the Forum Fisheries Agency to address foreign investment issues in the development of Tuna Management Plans for the Solomon Islands, Palau, and Vanuatu. |
| Regional (Pacific) | 2000 | Institutions | Assisted the Forum Secretariat with 1999 Meeting for the Heads of Investment Promotion Agencies. |
| Regional (Pacific) | 1998 | Institutions: Training | Organized training program for investment promotion agencies in Pacific on strategies to attract and keep foreign investors. |
| Regional (Pacific) | 1998 | Institutions: Training | Organized training program for investment promotion agencies in Pacific on the essential elements of an investment policy framework. |
| Regional (Pacific) | 1997 | Investment policy | Reviewed and commented on national investment policy statements of Pacific Forum Island Countries. |
| Regional (South Asia) | 2005 | Administrative Barriers | A high level roundtable to discuss how international best practice in regulatory reform can be most appropriately tailored to local conditions, needs and priorities in countries of the South Asia Region. |
| Samoa | 2007 | Investment policy | FIAS reviewed the Foreign Investment Act in Samoa and its draft regulations. FIAS developed a "principles" paper, which was used as the basis for intensive in-country consultations in Samoa. A final paper containing action recommendations was presented to the government. |
| Samoa | 2006 | Investment Laws, Policies, & Promotion | The government of Samoa requested FIAS’ and the World Bank’s services to implement regulatory reforms to improve the ease of Doing Business in Samoa, based on the World Bank’s Doing Business indicators, through a joint public/private sector task force. |
| Samoa | 2002 | Investment policy: Law (Implementation) | Assisted with implementing the FDI Act. |
| Samoa | 2001 | Incentives | Provided assistance in designing and developing a duty suspension scheme (DSS) for exporters to provide export led investments with appropriate access to world priced inputs. |
| Samoa | 1999 | Incentives | Evaluated the investment incentive regime. |
| Samoa | 1998 | Investment policy | Reviewed policy issues of importance to foreign investors, such as business licensing and work permits for expatriates. |
| Samoa | 1995 | Incentives | Reviewed the investment incentives regime and the institutional arrangements for FDI. |
| Samoa | 1992 | Diagnostic | Conducted a diagnostic review of the investment climate. |
| Solomon Islands | 2007 | Administrative Barriers [Implementation] | As a follow-up to the administrative barriers project completed in March 2006, FIAS developed a policy statement on the employment and residency of foreign workers in the Solomon Islands, and drafted legislative guidelines reflecting the policy statement. |
| Solomon Islands | 2006 | Administrative Barriers | Following FIAS assistance on foreign investment legislation, the government of the Solomon Islands requested further assistance on removing administrative barriers to investment in two key areas: business registration and labor and immigration. |
| Solomon Islands | 2006 | Investment Laws, Policies, & Promotion | This project assisted in the establishment and operation of a Foreign Investment Registry (FIR) function, which included designing an organizational structure and operating procedures, and developing and making operational a simple registry system. |
| Solomon Islands | 2006 | Investment Laws, Policies, & Promotion | FIAS reviewed and assessed the Solomon Islands “location offer” to investors, the operation and effectiveness of the current system of investment incentives (tax and otherwise), and the appropriateness of special economic zones within the "location offer". |
| Solomon Islands | 2005 | Investment policy: Law | Prepared drafting guidelines, draft policy statement and facilitate public consultation. |
| Solomon Islands | 2000 | Investment policy: Law | Provided drafting guidelines for a new investment promotion agency and for new foreign investment legislation to replace the existing Investment Act. |
| Solomon Islands | 1997 | Investment policy: Law | Conducted a review of the investment law. |
| Sri Lanka | 2004 | Competition Policy | Conducted a conference to analyze the relationship between competition, productivity, competitiveness, economic growth, and poverty reduction, and review the state of competition. |
| Sri Lanka | 1993 | Promotion strategy | Assisted in the development of an investment promotion strategy. |
| Sri Lanka | 1991 | Diagnostic | Assisted in the preparation of an investment policy and institutional framework for FDI. |
| Sri Lanka | 1991 | Institutions | Assisted in the development of a new institutional and procedural framework to attract FDI. |
| Thailand | 2006 | Administrative Barriers | Working closely with Thailand’s Board of Investment, FIAS conducted an administrative barriers to investment study in Thailand. The study also included an ARCS survey and application of FIAS agency templates. |
| Thailand | 2000 | Incentives | Reviewed the country's investment incentives and made proposals for changes. |
| Thailand | 1999 | Promotion strategy | Arranged a seminar for the government on the impact of World Trade Organization (WTO) rules on FDI promotion. |
| Thailand | 1998 | Promotion strategy | Participated in the implementation of a promotion strategy for the Eastern Seaboard. |
| Thailand | 1995 | Promotion strategy | Prepared a framework for a promotion strategy for the Eastern Seaboard region. |
| Thailand | 1992 | Backward linkages | Conducted a study designed to identify opportunities for, and impediments to, backward linkages between foreign and local firms. |
| Thailand | 1990 | Backward linkages | Reviewed backward linkage experience of selected countries and their relevance in Thailand. |
| Thailand | 1988 | Incentives | Reviewed Thailand's investment policy and incentives strategy in light of the objectives in the Sixth National Economic and Social Plan. |
| Tonga | 2006 | Investment Laws, Policies, & Promotion | In conjunction with the World Bank, FIAS proposed improvements in regulations and streamlined procedures affecting private sector investment and activity through a public/private Task Force and working groups focused on the specific reform areas of starting a business, licenses, permits and inspections, immigration, and fishing. |
| Tonga | 2002 | Investment policy: Law | Assisted government in transforming legislative drafting guidelines into bills and with the facilitation of bills through the Legislative Assembly. |
| Tonga | 2001 | Incentives | Reviewed the effectiveness of the current tax-based scheme and assessed the impact of incentives on investor location, technology, timing, market choices, and the economic development of Tonga. |
| Tonga | 2000 | Investment policy | Provided an explanatory report with recommendations and drafting guidelines for amending the Licenses Act, for creating new foreign investment legislation, and for repealing the Investment Development Incentives Act. |
| Tonga | 1996 | Diagnostic | Conducted a diagnostic review of the investment climate. |
| Vanuatu | 2005 | Investment policy: Law | Assisted VIPA to develop a National Investment Policy Statement. This will clarify the Vanuatu Government’s immediate policy regarding
investment as well as its intended policy changes relating to investments and, in particular, foreign direct investment. It will also ensure compliance with APEC. |
| Vanuatu | 2005 | Investment policy: Law | Developed and delivered a capacity building workshop for Provincial authorities, in order to bring the six provincial authorities in Vanuatu in compliance with the new national investment policy statement (NIPS). It also provided guidance in their preparation of good practice provincial investment policies. |
| Vanuatu | 2000 | Institutions | Provided drafting guidelines for a new investment promotion agency. |
| Vanuatu | 1998 | Investment policy/Institutions | Assisted the government in preparing drafting guidelines for an act to establish an investment promotion agency. |
| Vanuatu | 1997 | Investment policy | Provided comments on the amendment of the Business License Act and the Work Permits Act. |
| Vanuatu | 1996 | Investment policy | Assisted in the preparation of a documented foreign investment policy. |
| Vietnam | 2007 | Administrative Barriers [Implementation] | FIAS assessed the current shortcomings in the legal and institutional framework for movable asset financing (secured transactions) in Vietnam and provided concrete recommendations for reform that will allow broad use of movable assets as collateral. |
| Vietnam | 2005 | Diagnostic: Access to Land | Prepared a report outlining in details the methodology to undertake a study on land issues from the private sector perspective in Vietnam. Conducted over a 6- week period primarily by local consultants (a lawyer and an economist) with the support of FIAS and an international expert on land related issues. |
| Vietnam | 2005 | Investment policy: Law | Supported the Government’s efforts to prepare a new Unified Enterprise Law (UEL) and a new Comprehensive Investment Law (CIL). Includes research into the impact of proposed changes to the present investment law, reviews of drafts of the CIL and support to various key agencies in their discussions with various important stakeholder groups. |
| Vietnam | 2004 | Investment policy: Law | Prepared Discussion Note on creating a Unified Law on Foreign and Domestic Investment in Vietnam. |
| Vietnam | 2000 | Investment policy: Economic Zones | Mobilized economic zone experts and investment policy experts to share experience on zone objectives, location, design and management with the Vietnamese Investment Zone Authority and other government departments. |
| Vietnam | 1999 | Administrative Barriers | Examined impediments to the establishment and operation of foreign investments in Vietnam. |
| Vietnam | 1998 | Sector: Infrastructure | Reviewed BOT regulations to better facilitate FDI in the infrastructure sector. |
| Vietnam | 1996 | Sector: Infrastructure | Reviewed the country's experience in attracting and implementing FDI into infrastructure projects and evaluated obstacles to increasing such FDI in Vietnam. |
| Vietnam | 1995 | Investment policy | Reviewed the policy implications of promoting FDI in the infrastructure sector. |
| Vietnam | 1994 | Investment policy: Approval/promotion | Assisted in improving coordination of approval procedures and promotional activities. |
| Vietnam | 1993 | Investment policy: Law | Conducted a study on the role of bilateral, regional and multilateral legal instruments to encourage FDI. |
| Vietnam | 1991 | Investment policy | Established priorities for legal reforms to encourage and accelerate the flow of FDI. |