Serbia - Investment Climate Survey 2003

The Investment Climate Surveys (ICS) were conducted by the World Bank and its partners across all geographic regions and covered firms of all sizes in many industries. The ICS collected a wide array of qualitative and quantitative information through face-to-face interviews with managers and owners regarding the investment climate in their country and the productivity of their firms. Topics covered in the ICS included the obstacles to doing business, infrastructure, finance, labor, corruption and regulation, contract enforcement, law and order, innovation and technology, and firm productivity. Taken together, the qualitative and quantitative data helped connect a country’s investment climate characteristics with firm productivity and performance.Firm-level surveys have been administered since 1998 by different units within the World Bank. Since 2005-06, most data collection efforts have been centralized within the Enterprise Analysis Unit (FPDEA). Enterprise Surveys, a replacement for Investment Climate Surveys, are now conducted by the Enterprise Analysis Unit. Serbia Investment Climate Survey was conducted in May 2003. It covered 408 firms in manufacturing, services, retail/whole sales, agriculture, and construction sectors. After the assassination of Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic in March 2003, the situation in the country deteriorated into a stalemate in Parliament, disintegration of the ruling coalition and collapse of the government. New parliamentary elections took place in December 2003. The survey was undertaken in the aftermath of the assassination of Prime Minister at a time when the country was experiencing a great deal of uncertainty, so the survey results must be viewed in this light.