Useful Charts and Graphs from the WDR 2002

Figure 6.1 - Procedural complexity reduces efficiency
	For example, countries differ in how long it takes to enforce a judgment. In the poorest quartile of countries the average duration from judgment to enforcement in debt collection cases is only 18 days in Ghana, but almost 450 days in Senegal. For example, it can take anywhere from 35 days (Singapore) to four years (Slovenia) to solve a commercial dispute that involves a returned check. The study also indicates that 90 percent of procedures for Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Morocco, and Senegal, and 100 percent for Argentina, Honduras, Spain, and Venezuela, are written. Not surprisingly, the judicial process of collecting debt lasts on average 180 days in Honduras, 300 days in Argentina, and 432 days in Senegal. This evidence suggests that complicated procedures are especially problematic in poorer countries, where they may facilitate corruption or be unsuitable given the existing levels of administrative capacity. Also, they frequently serve as barriers to entry for poor people. - WDR 2002, pages 88-89