Blog - Center for International Private Enterprise

2807 Items

NGO Bill Passed in Russia

The bill which establishes tighter control over NGOs operating in Russia was passed today with an overwhelming majority (357-20-7) in the State Duma just before it left for the winter break. Before the law comes into force, it still has to be approved by the Federal Council and signed by the Preside...

Notes from the Field: Uzbekistan (Part 1 of 3)

Driving around Tashkent, it is remarkable how slowly business has been developing. I arrived on the Constitution Day holiday, yet the commercial district was virtually deserted, unlike the main boulevards on holidays in Baku, Tbilisi, Chisinau, or Almaty. The bazaar was the exception, where people c...

Corruption or Death?

Recent economic liberalization and expansion has brought China face to face with a new issue that threatens to undermine much of the progress made over the last five years – corruption. In November, the Los Angeles Times reported on the estimated one million illegal land seizures that took place i...

Rights vs. Reality in Uzbekistan

The Uzbek Constitution and its law "On Education" grant everyone the right to seek higher education. Educational establishments, according to the Law, can be public or private, provided that the organization is licensed. It is a surprisingly liberal policy for a government that has become increasing...

Latest on WTO Talks

The Economist takes a critical look at the recent WTO meeting in Hong Kong. The meeting's most notable accomplishment was that it did not collapse as previous gatherings had in Seattle, in 1999, and Cancún, in 2003. The main new achievement was to agree on a date, the end of 2013, for the elimina...

Declining Trust and Russia’s “Miracle”

Citizen's trust in governments, international institutions, and companies continues to decline, shows a new WEF survey conducted in 20 countries. Some interesting findings: Trust in companies is falling in developed countries, yet in some developing economies (China, Nigeria, Kenya, Indonesia, and...

Interview with CIPE’s Pakistan Country Director

I wanted to highlight a recent interview with Moin Fudda, CIPE’s country director in Pakistan. The interview appeared in the weekly magazine “Investors” published by The International News, which Moin describes as the largest circulation international daily in Pakistan. The article...

Where Piracy Pays Off

It is no secret that Russia is one of the world's largest markets for counterfeit goods. However, the country can hardly be proud of being one of the world's leaders in this category - it is one of the major barriers to joining the World Trade Organization (WTO). Piracy costs Russian and foreign f...

Signs of Change in Congo

This weekend citizens of the Democratic Republic of Congo voted in a national referendum on a new constitution. According to the reports, the constitution will set up elections of the president in 2006 (first in decades), limit the number of terms the president can serve, and will decentralize po...

Ethical Standards Matter

There is an interesting article on BBC News that talks about issues of underemployment, informal sector, and corruption in Brazil. Words of Kroll Brasil (Brazilian risk consulting company) managing director Eduardo de Freitas Gomide are particularly interesting: “The companies that pay bribes ...

2807 Items

Sort by Date Descending