the.world.is.flat-第63章

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compete　globally　as　never　before　…reform　wholesale　was　no　longer　sufficient　to　keep　
countries　on　a　sustainable　growth　path。　
A　deeper　process　of　reform　was　required…a　process　I　would　call　reform　retail。　

I　Can　Only　Get　It　for　You　Retail　
What　if　regions　of　the　world　were　like　the　neighborhoods　of　a　city？　What　would　the　
world　look　like？　I'd　describe　it　like　this：　Western　Europe　would　be　an　assisted…living　
facility；　with　an　aging　population　lavishly　attended　to　by　Turkish　nurses。　The　United　
States　would　be　a　gated　community；　with　a　metal　detector　at　the　front　gate　and　a　lot　
of　people　sitting　in　their　front　yards　complaining　about　how　lazy　everyone　else　was；　
even　though　out　back　there　was　a　small　opening　in　the　fence　for　Mexican　labor　and　
other　energetic　immigrants　who　helped　to　make　the　gated　community　function。　Latin　
America　would　be　the　fun　part　of　town；　the　club　district；　where　the　workday　doesn't　
begin　until　ten　p。m。　and　everyone　sleeps　until　midmorning。　It's　definitely　the　place　
to　hang　out；　but　in　between　the　clubs；　you　don't　see　a　lot　of　new　businesses　opening　
up；　except　on　the　street　where　the　Chileans　live。　The　landlords　in　this　neighborhood　
almost　never　reinvest　their　profits　here；　but　keep　them　in　a　bank　across　town。　The　
Arab　street　would　be　a　dark　alley　where　outsiders　fear　to　tread；　except　for　a　few　
side　streets　called　Dubai；　Jordan；　Bahrain；　Qatar；　and　Morocco。　The　only　new　
businesses　are　gas　stations；　whose　owners；　like　the　elites　in　the　Latin　neighborhood；　
rarely　reinvest　their　funds　in　the　neighborhood。　Many　people　on　the　Arab　street　have　
their　curtains　closed；　their　shutters　drawn；　and　signs　on　their　front　lawn　that　say；　
〃No　Trespassing。　Beware　of　Dog。〃　India；　China；　and　East　Asia　would　be　〃the　other　side　
of　the　tracks。〃　Their　neighborhood　is　a　big　teeming　market；　made　up　of　small　shops　
and　one…room　factories；　interspersed　with　Stanley　Kaplan　SAT　prep　schools　and　
engineering　colleges。　Nobody　ever　sleeps　in　this　neighborhood；　everyone　lives　in　
extended　families；　and　everyone　is　working　and　saving　to　get　to　〃the　right　side　of　
the　tracks。〃　On　the　Chinese　streets；　there's　no　rule　of　law；　but　the　roads　are　all　
well　paved；there　are　no　potholes；　and　the　streetlights　all　work。　Onthe　Indian　streets；　


by　contrast；　no　one　ever　repairs　the　streetlights；　the　roads　are　full　of　ruts；　but　
the　police　are　sticklers　for　the　rules。　You　need　a　license　to　open　a　lemonade　stand　
on　the　Indian　streets。　Luckily；　the　local　cops　can　be　bribed；　and　the　successful　
entrepreneurs　all　have　their　own　generators　to　run　their　factories　and　the　latest　
cell　phones　to　get　
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around　the　fact　that　the　local　telephone　poles　are　all　down。　Africa；　sadly；　is　that　
part　of　town　where　the　businesses　are　boarded　up；　life　expectancy　is　declining；　and　
the　only　new　buildings　are　health…care　clinics。　
The　point　here　is　that　every　region　of　the　world　has　its　strengths　and　weaknesses；　
and　all　are　in　need　of　reform　retail　to　some　degree。　What　is　reform　retail？　In　the　
simplest　terms；　it　is　more　than　just　opening　your　country　to　foreign　trade　and　
investment　and　making　a　few　macroeco…nomic　policy　changes　from　the　top。　That　is　reform　
wholesale。　Reform　retail　presumes　you　have　already　done　reform　wholesale。　It　involves　
looking　at　four　key　aspects　of　your　society…infrastructure；　regulatory　institutions；　
education；　and　culture　（the　general　way　your　country　and　leaders　relate　to　the　
world）…and　upgrading　each　one　to　remove　as　many　friction　points　as　possible。　The　idea　
of　reform　retail　is　to　enable　the　greatest　number　of　your　people　to　have　the　best　
legal　and　institutional　framework　within　which　to　innovate；　start　companies；　and　
become　attractive　partners　for　those　who　want　to　collaborate　with　them　from　elsewhere　
in　the　world。　
Many　of　the　key　elements　of　reform　retail　were　best　defined　by　the　research　done　by　
the　World　Bank's　International　Finance　Corporation　（IFC）　and　its　economic　analysis　
team　led　by　its　chief　economist；　Michael　Klein。　What　do　we　learn　from　their　work？　
To　begin　with；　you　don't　grow　your　country　out　of　poverty　by　guaranteeing　everyone　
a　job。　Egypt　guarantees　all　college　graduates　a　job　each　year；　and　it　has　been　mired　
in　poverty　with　a　slow…growing　economy　for　fifty　years。　
〃If　it　were　just　a　matter　of　the　number　of　jobs；　solutions　would　be　easy；〃　note　Klein　
and　Bita　Hadjimichael　in　their　World　Bank　Study；　The　Private　Sector　in　Development。　
〃For　example；　state…owned　enterprises　could　absorb　all　those　in　need　of　employment。　
The　real　issue　is　not　just　employment；　but　increasingly　productive　employment　that　
allows　living　standards　to　rise。〃　State…owned　enterprises　and　state…subsidized　
private　firms　usuallyhave　not　delivered　sustainable　productivity　growth；　and　neither　
have　a　lot　of　other　approaches　that　people　assume　are　elixirs　of　growth；　they　add。　
Just　attracting　more　foreign　investment　into　a　country　also　doesn't　automatically　
do　it。　And　even　massive　investments　in　education　won't　guarantee　it。　
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〃Productivity　growth　and；　hence；　the　way　out　of　poverty；　is　not　simply　a　matter　of　
throwing　resources　at　the　problem；〃　say　Klein　and　Hadjimichael。　〃More　important；　it　
is　a　matter　of　using　resources　well。〃　In　other　words；　countries　grow　out　of　poverty　
not　only　when　they　manage　their　fiscal　and　monetary　policies　responsibly　from　above；　
i。e。；　reform　wholesale。　They　grow　out　of　poverty　when　they　also　create　an　environment　
below　that　makes　it　very　easy　for　their　people　to　start　businesses；　raise　capital；　
and　become　entrepreneurs；　and　when　they　subject　their　people　to　at　least　some　


competition　from　beyond…because　companies　and　countries　with　competitors　always　
innovate　more　and　faster。　
The　IFC　drove　home　this　point　with　a　comprehensive　study　of　more　than　130　countries；　
called　Doing　Business　in　2004。　The　IFC　asked　five　basic　questions　about　doing　business　
in　each　of　these　countries；　questions　about　how　easy　or　difficult　it　is　to　1）　start　
a　business　in　terms　of　local　rules；　regulations；　and　license　fees；　2）　hire　and　fire　
workers；　3）　enforce　a　contract；　4）　get　credit；　and　5）　close　a　business　that　goes　
bankrupt　or　is　failing。　To　translate　it　into　my　own　lexicon；　those　countries　that　
make　all　these　things　relatively　simple　and　friction…free　have　undertaken　reform　
retail；　and　those　that　have　not　are　stalled　in　reform　wholesale　and　are　not　likely　
to　thrive　in　a　flat　world。　The　IFC's　criteria　were　inspired　by　the　brilliant　and　
innovative　work　of　Hernando　de　Soto；　who　has　demonstrated　in　Peru　and　other　developing　
nations　that　if　you　change　the　regulatory　and　business　environment　for　the　poor；　and　
give　them　the　tools　to　collaborate；　they　will　do　the　rest。　
Doing　Business　in　2004　tries　to　explain　each　of　its　points　with　a　few　colorful　examples：　
〃Teuku；　an　entreprenuer　in　Jakarta；　wants　to　open　a　textile　factory。　He　has　customers　
lined　up；　imported　machinery；　and　a　promising　business　plan。　Teuku's　first　encounter　
with　the　government　is　when　registering　his　business。　He　gets　the　standard　forms　from　
the　Ministry　of　Justice；　and　completes　and　notarizes　them。　Teuku　proves　that　he　is　
a　local　resident　and　does　not　have　a　criminal　record。　He　obtains　a　tax　number；　applies　
for　a　business　license；　and　deposits　the　minimum　capital　（three　times　national　income　
per　capita）　in　the　bank。　He　then　publishes　the　articles　of　association　in　the　official　
gazette；　pays　a　stamp　fee；　registers　at　the　Ministry　of　Justice；　and　waits　90　days　
before　filing　for　

social　security。　One　hundred　sixty…eight　days　after　he　commences　the　process；　Teuku　
can　legally　start　operations。　In　the　meantime；　his　customers　have　contracted　with　
another　business。　
〃In　Panama；　another　entrepreneur；　Ina；　registers　her　construction　company　in　only　
19　days。　Business　is　booming　and　Ina　wants　to　hire　someone　for　a　two…year　appointment。　
But　the　employment　law　only　allows　fixed…term　appointments　for　specific　tasks；　and　
even　then　requires　a　maximum　term　of　one　year。　At　the　same　time；　one　of　her　current　
workers　often　leaves　early；　with　no　excuse；　and　makes　costly　mistakes。　To　replace　
him；　Ina　needs　to　notify　and　get　approval　from　the　union；　and　pay　five　months'　
severance　pay。　Ina　rejects　the　more　qualified　applicant　she　would　like　to　hire　and　
keeps　the　underperforming　worker　on　staff。　
〃Ali；　a　trader　in　the　United　Arab　Emirates；　can　hire　and　fire　with　ease。　But　one　of　
his　customers　refuses　to　pay　for　equipment　delivered　three　months　earlier。　It　takes　
27　procedures　and　more　than　550　days　to　resolve　the　payment　dispute　in　court。　Almost　
all　procedures　must　be　made　in　writing；　and　require　extensive　legal　justification　
and　the　use　of　lawyers。　After　this　experience；　Ali　decides　to　deal　only　with　customers　
he　knows　well。　
〃Timnit；　a　young　entrepreneur　in　Ethiopia；　wants　to　expand　her　successful　consulting　
business　


by　taking　a　loan。　But　she　has　no　proof　of　good　credit　history　because　there　are　no　
credit　information　registries。　Although　her　business　has　substantial　assets　in　
accounts　receivable；　laws　restrict　her　bank　from　using　these　as　collateral。　The　bank　
knows　it　cannot　recover　the　debt　if　Timnit　defaults；　because　courts　are　inefficient　
and　laws　give　creditors　few　powers。　Credit　is　denied。　The　business　stays　small。　
〃Having　registered；　hired　workers；　enforced　contracts；　and　obtained　credit；　Avik；　
a　businessman　in　India；　cannot　make　a　profit　and　goes　out　of　business。　Faced　with　
a　10…year…long　process　of　going　through　bankruptcy；　Avik　absconds；　leaving　his　
workers；　the　bank；　and　the　tax　agency　with　nothing。〃　
If　you　want　to　know　why　two　decades　of　macroeconomic　reform　wholesale　at　the　top　have　
not　slowed　the　spread　of　poverty　and　produced　enough　new　jobs　in　key　countries　of　
Latin　America；　Africa；　the　Arab　world；　and　the　former　Soviet　Empire；　it　is　because　
there　has　been　too　little　reform　retail。　According　to　the　IFC　report；　if　you　want　
to　create　pro…　

ductive　jobs　（the　kind　that　lead　to　rising　standards　of　living）；　and　if　you　want　to　
stimulate　the　growth　of　new　businesses　（the　kind　that　innovate；　compete；　and　create　
wealth）；　you　need　a　regulatory　environment　that　makes　it　easy　to　start　a　business；　
easy　to　adjust　a　business　to　changing　market　circumstances　and　opportunities；　and　
easy　to　close　a　business　that　goes　bankrupt；　so　that　the　capital　can　be　freed　up　for　
more　productive　uses。　
〃It　takes　two　days　to　start　a　business　in　Australia；　but　203　days　in　Haiti　and　215　
days　in　the　Democratic　Republic　of　Congo；〃　the　IFC　study　found。　〃There　are　no　monetary　
costs　to　start　a　new　business　in　Denmark；　but　it　costs　more　than　five　times　income　
per　capita　in　Cambodia　and　over　thirteen　times　in　Sierra　Leone。　Hong　Kong；　Singapore；　
Thailand　and　more　than　three　dozen　other　economies　require　no　minimum　capital　from　
start…ups。　In　contrast；　in　Syria　the　capital　requirement　is　equivalent　to　fifty…six　
times　income　per　capita　。　。　。　Businesses　in　the　Czech　Republic　and　Denmark　can　hire　
workers　on　part…time　or　fixed…term　contracts　for　any　job；　without　specifying　maximum　
duration　ofthe　contract。　In　contrast；　employment　laws　in　ElSalvador　allow　fixed…term　
contracts　only　for　specific　jobs；　and　set　their　d