This is the Cato Daily Podcast for Monday, November 19th, 2007. I'm Caleb Brown.

Where in the world is it easiest to start, operate, profit from and even close a business

and which nations are working to improve their business climates.

The World Bank tracks such data.

Simeon Jengov is lead author of the World Bank's Doing Business 2008.

The purpose of doing business is to inform and inspire reforms in improving these of doing business around the world.

So it's focused on reformers, not so much on researchers.

There have been some rapid movements. reformers, not so much on researchers.

There have been some rapid movements in both directions among nations who are really

striving to liberalize their economies for the sake of, especially the poor.

There have also been some backwards moving economies,

especially for the sake of the poor.

Can you describe some of the nations that have moved rapidly one direction or another?

On the positive side, many of the reformers, the biggest reformers have been from transition economy, Central in Eastern Europe, former Soviet Union,

Georgia over the last three years,

has been the fastest reformer jumping about 130 places

between 2003 and 2007.

Some other countries like Slovakia in Central and Eastern Europe

have been very positive.

But the other countries in Latin America, this has been actually some

of the small Central American countries like Guatemala, El Salvador, have been very positive. the Middle East, it's Egypt.

On the other side, on the negative reform, so to speak, or making it more difficult for businesses.

...