Administrative Responsiveness in Ease of Doing Business

Abstract

Ease of doing business is an integrated approach to improve delivery of various services for running an enterprise through regulatory reforms. Several parameters have been identified by the World Bank, which ranks 190 countries, including India, based on the reform initiatives undertaken by them. India has made significant progress in the rankings. However, there are still areas where there is huge scope for improvement. Despite the political push, it is the responsiveness of the administrative system that holds the key. Indian bureaucracy is often blamed for its ‘personnel, paperwork, and process’ orientation. This article is an attempt to analyse the response of the bureaucracy in four select parameters: (a) starting a business, (b) getting electricity, (c) registering property and (d) getting credit. The rationale behind their selection is that, though all businesses have to negotiate the processes, these four have direct interface with the service delivery agencies, and there is greater measurability of their responsiveness in general.