Context

World Bank to stop its famous and fought-over ‘ease of doing business’ report  after an internal audit found “undue pressure” by top bank officials to manipulate data had resulted in country rankings changed to favour China.

What is Ease of Doing Business Index?

• The Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) index is a ranking system established by the World Bank Group.
• Published by: World Bank
• It is an aggregate figure that includes different parameters which define the ease of doing business in a country.
• Indicators: The quantitative indicators ranged from 
  • dealing with construction permits
  • getting electricity
  • getting credit
  • protecting minority investors
  • paying taxes
  • trading across borders
• However, it does not directly measure more general conditions such as a nation's proximity to large markets, quality of infrastructure, inflation, or crime.
• Ranking: ranges from 1 to 190.
• The rankings on the Ease of Doing Business Report help in assessing the “absolute level of regulatory performance over time”.
• The 2020 report was the 17th in the series of annual studies.