People often give me puzzled looks when I try to describe my job here, and I don’t blame them. Since 2015 I have worked on an international development program that supports the Philippines’ shift from a cash-based economy to a cash-light economy, which will improve the livelihoods of Filipinos by getting more people involved in…
Chemonics implemented the SLDP project from December 22, 2010 to August 21, 2016, and it grew to be a project rich in innovation and learning. As a beneficiary of USAID’s patience, flexibility, and creativity, SLDP changed its management methodology and approach in its third year to realize its original goals of creating economic growth in local regions. In this way, SLDP adapted, learned lessons, and adopted new solutions as it evolved.…
The World Bank Doing Business report The World Bank’s Doing Business report is an objective and comparative assessment that measures how easy it is to start, run, and grow a business. For example, the report measures the time and cost it takes to register a business, get electricity, and enforce contracts. For over a decade,…
The Sustainable Development Goals established an agenda for transforming the world in which we live. SDG1 sets for the ultimate objective for the global community: to end poverty in all of its forms by 2030. The remaining 16 SDGs identify critically interlinked objectives which are both necessary and sufficient to achieve this objective. They clearly…
The Moldova Business Regulatory, Investment, and Trade Environment (BRITE) program was funded by USAID/Moldova and implemented by Chemonics International in partnership with United States-based small business European Integration Forum. BRITE’s principal task was to demonstrate to Moldovan policymakers that reforms would yield large-scale financial returns in the short and long run, following the theory of…
USAID has long supported Jordan’s tourism sector, which is the country’s largest economic sector, the second largest earner of foreign exchange after remittances, and the largest generator of private sector employment. The project worked in partnership with the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities on initiatives to further develop the country’s tourism sector and bring several tourism initiatives,…
Following the success of USAID’s Economic Policy Reform and Competitiveness (EPRC) project, the government of Mongolia agreed to continue its ambitious reform agenda through support and partnership with USAID. In June 2011, Chemonics International began implementing the $14 million follow-on project, Business Plus Initiative (BPI). BPI was designed to improve Mongolia’s business enabling environment, build…
Since the mid-2000’s, Georgia has achieved significant gains in business enabling environment reforms. How has PMCG transferred that experience to its clients? Serving as the Minister of Finance (2005-2007) and Minister of Economic Development (2004-2005), I, together with the government team supported by international development partner institutions (specifically with the USAID Business Climate Reform in Georgia…
The World Bank Doing Business report is a tool that is used by the public and private sectors to determine the opportunities and challenges of doing business in various countries. The 10 key indicators tracked by the report comprise one of the measurement tools used by Chemonics projects seeking to improve the business enabling environment…
USAID’s Nepal Economic, Agriculture, and Trade (NEAT) Activity aimed to build capacities within Nepal’s number one industry — agriculture — to reduce poverty and food insecurity, facilitate important regulatory and ad- ministrative reforms to increase revenue generation and trade, improve access to finance, and attract investment. The project also aimed to address deficiencies in the…
Final Report: Paraguay Threshold Country Program: Focus Area II Formalization of Economic Activities
According to the Central Bank of Paraguay’s (BCP) preliminary figures for 2007, the private sector—defined as “economic activities not produced by the public sector”—accounted for 85% of GDP. Formalization enables this critical sector for economic development to become better organized and more stable. This report describes the results of the improvements implemented and their impact…