Asian Development Bank Provincial Facilitation for Investment and Trade Index

Annotation

This report presents the findings of the second Provincial Facilitation for Investment and Trade (ProFIT) survey in the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR). It provides a comparative picture of the experiences and perceptions of the business community in complying with government regulations by gender. The report shares analysis in six key areas: (i) ease of starting a business, (ii) transparency and access to information, (iii) regulatory burden, (iv) informal charges, (v) consistency in policy implementation, and (vi) business friendliness of the provincial administration. It notes that women entrepreneurs reported that their business registration takes longer and costs more. The report urges the government to train staff to overcome hidden gender biases and make it easier for women to create and run businesses.