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| Tuesday, 13 May 2003 |
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Survey to help improve investments and productivity growth By Chamitha Kuruppu The Asian Development Bank (ADB) along with the World Bank will conduct an 'Investment Climate and Productivity Study 2003,' a survey on business establishments and consequent analysis of the data, leading to policy recommendations, by mid this year. The foremost objective of the study is to help improve the environment for investment and productivity growth and thereby foster private sector development that contributes to sustained poverty reduction. The study is expected to lead to policy reforms or new measures that will benefit the economy in general, as well as individual business firms in terms of lower costs and higher returns. 'Investment Climate and Productivity Study' is a joint undertaking of the ADB and World Bank in collaboration with the Ministry of Enterprise Development, Industrial Policy and Investment Promotion, Department of Census and Statistics, Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and other business and industry associations. The ministry is the coordinating agency and the Census and Statistics Department will conduct the field survey. The study will examine constraints and stumbling blocks to investments and productivity increases at the micro (firm) level and undertake cross-country comparative analysis, which will enable one to see how a country is faring in the race towards investment competitiveness and productivity. The study will also be helpful to identify effective ways to deal with the impediments to investment and productivity growth of the country. Nearly 600 business establishments, stratified by sector and size, in five major manufacturing locations around the country will be included in the survey. However of the nine provinces the survey will only be conducted in eight provinces. According to the two donor agencies due to logical problems the survey will not be conducted in the Northern province. All data and information gathered from the survey will be treated with strict confidentiality. No individual information will be revealed in any manner or form. The study is expected to answer critical questions as such as how internationally competitive is the country, province, urban centre, sector and the firm. The survey will address issues such as what specific areas/measures need reforms, what would be the effect of easing the constraints on investment and productivity increases at the national/subnational / sectoral/firm level and what would be the impact of improvements in the investment climate on overall economic growth and poverty reduction. The questionnaire will be classified into two sections. Part one is administered to the General Manager of the establishment consisting of questions such as background of firms and business environment, general information, constraints to the establishment, infrastructure and services, government relations, legal environment and conflict resolution and capacity, innovation and learning and labour relations. Part two of the questionnaire will be administered to the Accountant and Human Resource Manager containing accounting details such as products and inputs, corporate finance and human resources. According to the two donor agencies a pilot survey was held early last week. The team will arrive in the country in a month's time to train the enumerators and when the training program is over the survey will commence. World Bank Country Director Peter Harrold told a seminar recently that there is a need for a qualitative rigorous analysis in the country. With the data available in Sri Lanka at present it is difficult to make any forecasts, he said. "Similar surveys have been carried out in Pakistan, India, China, Thailand and Bangladesh. Therefore this will be useful to make cross country comparisons," Harrold said. |
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