Troubling contrasts in ASEAN

5 September 2013
The Phnom Penh Post
Economic policy and administration / Economy and commerce / Government / International relations / Trade / Trade policy and regulation
ANZ Royal Bank / ASEAN Economic Community / Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) / Business Research Institute of Cambodia / Grant Knuckey / Hiroshi Suzuki / Myanmar / Singapore / World Economic Forum

Some of these ASEAN economies are not like the others.

Singapore is 80 times richer than Myanmar and its population lives 20 years longer than Cambodia’s, while Myanmar ranks 50 places behind Cambodia in terms of global competitiveness, according to a wide-ranging analysis from the World Economic Forum.

Hiroshi Suzuki, president of the Business Research Institute of Cambodia, said the differences have a combination of merits and demerits. …

In the report, Cambodia received a competitive ranking of 88 out of 148 economies, a slight dip from its 85th slot last year. Corruption was listed as the most problematic factor for doing business, with “inefficient government bureaucracy” in second place.

 Joe Freeman
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/troubling-contrasts-asean