The DCED defines the business environment as a complex of policy, legal, institutional, and regulatory conditions that govern business activities (DCED, 2008). It is a sub-set of the investment climate. Business environment reform (BER) aims to reduce the costs and risks of business activity by improving poor government policies, laws and regulations, and by stimulating competition through new market entrants.
DCED members are working through the Business Environment Community of Practice (BE CoP) to review experience and develop good practice guidance on key aspects of BER. A full list of DCED publications on BER is available here
For an introduction to BER, view the video below.
At a glance: Short reads and other publications on BER by the DCED
You can find the most recent DCED policy briefs on BER below. To learn more about the DCED’s work on BER, go to the full list of DCED publications.
- From Silos to Synergy: Advancing Agri-Food MSMEs with a Whole-of-Government Approach, Policy Brief, 2026
- Narrowing the Gap: Business Environment Reform and Private Capital Mobilisation, Policy Brief, 2025
- Business Environment Reform and Competition Policy for a Green Transition, Policy Brief, 2025
- Renewed SME Agenda in the Context of Green and Just Transition, Policy Brief, 2025
- Business Environment Reforms to Improve Economic Resilience to Global Shocks, Policy Brief, 2025
- The enabling environment for private sector development. Donor spending and links to other catalytic uses of aid, Devinit, 2018
- What Works in Business Environment Reform in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, BERF, 2017
- How Business is Done in the Developing World: Deals versus Rules, Hallward-Driemeier and Pritchett, 2015
- Is there a causal link between investment climate and growth? A review of the evidence, LASER, 2015
- Business environment reform and poverty: rapid evidence assessment, DFID, 2015
- Business Environment Reform and Investment Promotion and Facilitation: Rapid Evidence Assessment, DFID, 2015
Overarching tools and guidelines
General diagnostics and management guidelines
- Investment Climate Reform Toolbox, ICR Facility, 2021
- Business Environment Reform Guidelines, EC, 2020
- The Business Environment Reform Diagnostic (BERD) Process: Guidance for Consultants, BERF, 2016
Implementing BER in fragile and conflict-affected contexts
Integrating gender considerations into BER programming
- Business Environment Reforms and the Care Economy: The Case of Childcare and Parental Leave Policies, ICR Facility, 2024
- With an ID in Hand, Women Have More Economic Opportunities, DCED, 2023, and corresponding policy brief on the same topic.
- Business Environment Reforms to Support Women-Owned Businesses in ACP Countries: Legal, administrative and policy reforms to access finance and manage businesses, ICR Facility, 2021
- DCED webinar on Gender and Business Environment Reform, 2020
- Women, Business and the Law 2020, World Bank, 2020
- Scoping Study on Customary Law and Women’s Entrepreneurship, BERF, 2017
- Scoping Study on Gender Differences in Enterprise Surveys, BERF, 2017
- Business Environment Reform and Gender, Technical paper, DCED, 2016
Linking BER to the local political economy
- Political Economy Analysis of the Business Environment in 11 Middle Income Countries, Duncan and Kingsmill, 2018
- Adaptive programming in practice: shared lessons from the DFID-funded LASER and SAVI, DFID, 2016
- Delivering institutional reform at scale: Problem-driven approaches supported by adaptive programming, DFID, 2016
- The Political Economy of Business Environment Reform: An Introduction for Practitioners, DCED, 2011
Practical resources on key areas of business environment
- Legislative Guide on Key Principles of a Business Registry, UNCITRAL, 2019
- Business Registration: What do we know about the effectiveness of business registration support and reforms? Key studies referenced in the DCED Evidence Framework, DCED, 2017
- Formalisation of smallholder agriculture and agri-business, BERF, 2016
- Studies on business formalisation compiled by the World Bank Doing Business Initiative
- Enhancing the Effectiveness of External Support in Building Tax Capacity in Developing Countries, IMF, OECD, UN and World Bank Group, 2016
- Studies on paying taxes compiled by the World Bank Doing Business Initiative
- What’s happening in the missing middle? Lessons from financing SMEs, The World Bank Group, 2017
- Improving Access to Finance for SMEs, The World Bank, 2018
- Studies on access to credit and protection of minority investors compiled by the World Bank Doing Business Initiative
- Applying labour law to MSMEs: A comparative study of 16 countries, ILO 2020
- Business Environment Reform and Labour Productivity, DCED, 2017
- Barriers to Job Creation and Labour Market Access for Youth in Sub-Saharan Africa, BERF, 2017
- Working Conditions, Work Outcomes, and Policy in Asian Developing Countries, ADB, 2016
- The Impact of Land Property Rights Interventions on Investment and Agricultural Productivity in Developing Countries: A Systematic Review, Lawry et al., 2017
- Land Sector Reforms in Ghana, Kenya and Vietnam: A Comparative Analysis of Their Effectiveness, Narh et al, 2016
- Studies on registering property compiled by the World Bank Doing Business Initiative
- PublicPrivateDialogue.org (multi-agency website compiling practical guidelines, case studies and more)
- Making Business Membership Organisations Work for the Poor. Case Study of ENABLE Nigeria, The Springfield Centre and Adam Smith International, 2016
Methodological advice
- How to Measure Value for Money in DFID Business Environment and Investment Climate Reform Initiatives Delivered by the IFC: An Evidence and Learning Note, BERF, 2016
- Measuring Business Environment Reform, DCED, 2013. There is also an associated Sample list of indicators.
Evaluations
- Evaluation Study: Trends and Lessons Learned on Improving Framework Conditions for PSD in the Global South, Danish MoFA 2021
- ILO’s Strategy and Actions towards the formalisation of the Informal Economy, 2014-2018, Independent Evaluation, ILO 2019
- An Impact Assessment of OHADA Reforms; Uniform Acts on Commercial, Company, Secured Transactions, and Insolvency, IFC/OHADA, 2018
- External Review of Enabling the Business of Agriculture, ITAD/DFID, 2018
- World Bank Group Country Private Sector Diagnostics are available for multiple countries, 2026
- World Bank Group Data Site on trade and competitiveness TCdata360 by the Macroeconomics, Trade and Investment Global Practice, 2018
- Business environment diagnostics and other studies in 14 countries are available on the DFID archive site for the Business Environment Reform Facility (BERF)
- Enabling the Business of Agriculture, The World Bank, 2017 (compares national laws and regulations for agribusiness)
- World Bank Enterprise Surveys
Photo credits: Simon Davis/DFID; Tran Viet Duc/Bronwyn Cruden, Global Affairs; UNSOM/ Somali Ministry of Trade dialogue with youth innovators, flickr.com; Canada DFID, solar energy, flickr.com