We have tremendous experience in designing, implementing and evaluating programs aimed at strengthening the investment climate. We have particular expertise in business registration and licensing, investment policy and promotion, alternative dispute resolution, and private-public dialogue. We understand the major drivers of success as well as common pitfalls, particularly in the context of developing countries.
Recent projects
Evaluation of the Foreign Investment Advisory Service
FIAS operates as a donor-funded “joint service” of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD). FIAS retained Nexus Associates to conduct an independent evaluation of the organization. The evaluation addressed issues related to compliance, relevance, effectiveness, sustainability, efficiency, and governance and management. The evaluation was based on a combination of quantitative and qualitative research, including a detailed analysis of project and financial data; a survey of senior government officials that requested FIAS assistance; a survey of World Bank and IFC country managers/directors; interviews with donors; in-depth country case studies on FIAS projects in China, Mexico and Sierra Leone; and desk reviews of eight projects related to business registration, business licensing, business taxes, and investment law. The case studies and desk reviews drew on relevant project files, secondary research, and interviews with FIAS staff, government officials, WB representatives, and other parties, as warranted.
Evaluation of International Finance Corporation Private Enterprise Partnerships
The International Finance Corporation (IFC) has established a number of donor-funded organizations around the world to promote private sector development. These organizations have undertaken a number of projects that were intended to improve the investment climate in developing countries. Nexus Associates has undertaken independent evaluations of eight of these organizations, including the Africa Project Development Facility (APDF), Mekong Project Development Facility (MPDF), Private Enterprise Partnership for the Middle East & North Africa (PEP-MENA), Private Enterprise Partnership for the Pacific (PEP-Pacific), Private Enterprise Partnership for the Philippines (PEP-Philippines), Program for Eastern Indonesia Small & Medium Enterprise Assistance (PENSA), SouthAsia Enterprise Development Facility (SEDF), and Southeast Europe Enterprise Development (SEED). Based on a combination of qualitative and quantitative research, each of the evaluations examined the relevance, efficiency, and effectiveness of programs undertaken by the organizations.
Evaluation of the World Bank’s Role in Strengthening the Investment Climate in India
The Operations Evaluation Department (OED) of the World Bank conducted a thematic evaluation of the institution's activities in support of improved investment climates in client countries. As part of this effort, Nexus Associates was asked to prepare a case study on the Bank’s activities over the past decade to help strengthen the investment climate in India, focusing on lending and non-lending operations in two states – Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. The case study draws on numerous sources of information, including project documents, published reports, internal memoranda, and the general literature as well as interviews with Bank staff, government officials, and representatives of industry, academia and other non-governmental organizations.
Review of the Investment Climate Facility for Africa
Publicly launched in June 2006, the objective of the Investment Climate Facility for Africa (ICF) is to remove barriers to private investment in Africa. ICF retained Nexus Associates to conduct an independent review of ICF, covering the period from its inception through 30 September 2009. The review addresses issues related to relevance, effectiveness (impact), efficiency, and organizational performance. It includes a review of the organization’s operational performance as well as an independent assessment of selected projects, focusing on project design, project implementation, and resulting outcomes. The ten project reviews reflect all areas in which ICF has been involved and include both Francophone and Anglophone countries. All told, the projects account for roughly 87 percent of total expenditures through 30 September 2009. The evaluation draws on a review of ICF documentation; interviews with members of the Board of Trustees (BOT) and ICF staff as well as representatives of donors and corporate contributors, beneficiaries and other stakeholders; and secondary research.
Evaluation of the Business Registration Simplification Project in Central America
The State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) agreed in December 2002 to provide roughly US$748,000 to FUNDES International (FUNDES) to support work to simplify business registration and licensing procedures in Bolivia, Costa Rica, and El Salvador. In May 2005, SECO approved an additional US$2.36 million for a second phase of the project, focusing on Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Guatemala. SECO retained Nexus Associates to conduct an end-of-phase evaluation of the second phase of the project. The purpose of the evaluation is two-fold: i) provide an objective assessment of the approach used by FUNDES in Phase II to simplify procedures; and ii) draw lessons that might be applied to future projects to help ensure their success in terms of impact and sustainability. The evaluation addresses issues related to relevance, effectiveness and sustainability, efficiency, and organizational performance. It is based on a review of documents; interviews with managers and staff; interviews with government officials and representatives of private sector associations in Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Guatemala; and analysis of monitoring data.
