The Investment Climate Surveys (ICS) were conducted by the World Bank and its partners across all geographic regions and covered firms of all sizes in many industries. The ICS collected a wide array of qualitative and quantitative information through face-to-face interviews with managers and owners regarding the investment climate in their country and the productivity of their firms. Topics covered in the ICS included the obstacles to doing business, infrastructure, finance, labor, corruption and regulation, contract enforcement, law and order, innovation and technology, and firm productivity. Taken together, the qualitative and quantitative data helped connect country’s investment climate characteristics with firm productivity and performance.
Firm-level surveys have been administered since 1998 by different units within the World Bank. Since 2005-06, most data collection efforts have been centralized within the Enterprise Analysis Unit (FPDEA). Enterprise Surveys, a replacement for Investment Climate Surveys, are now conducted by the Enterprise Analysis Unit.
The Investment Climate Survey used a stratified random sample which encompassed 560 firms from the industrial sector in 6 locations (Mouhafadhats): Alleppo, Damascus Hama, Homs, Latakia, and Rural Damascus. It included 448 small enterprises (less than 50 employees), 81 medium businesses (50 to 150 workers) and 25 large firms (more than 150 employees). Large private enterprises are relatively rare in Syria.
The survey significantly over-sampled exporters. The sample was composed mostly of manufacturing firms in diverse sectors, with the largest concentration in food processing, textiles, garments and leather.
The sample frame was drawn within strata, using a statistically valid sample selection technique, from databases maintained by the Federation of the Chamber of Commerce and local Chambers of Industry.
Data Collection
Dates of Data Collection
Start
End
2003
2003
Data Collection Mode
Face-to-face [f2f]
Data Collectors
Name
Damascus University Faculty of Economics and Commerce
Questionnaires
Questionnaires
The current survey instrument is available:
- Productivity and the Investment Climate Survey, Syrian Arab Republic
Access policy
Contacts
Email
enterprisesurveys@worldbank.org
Confidentiality
Confidentiality of the survey respondents and the sensitive information they provide is necessary to ensure the greatest degree of survey participation, integrity and confidence in the quality of the data. Surveys are usually carried out in cooperation with business organizations and government agencies promoting job creation and economic growth, but confidentiality is never compromised.
Access conditions
Firm-level data is available to the public free-of-charge. In order to access the data, users must agree to abide by a strict confidentiality agreement available through Enterprise Analysis Unit website by clicking on "External users register here" at https://www.enterprisesurveys.org/Portal
Citation requirements
Where necessary please site the source as "Enterprise Analysis Unit - World Bank Group https://www.enterprisesurveys.org"
Disclaimer and copyrights
Disclaimer
The user of the data acknowledges that the original collector of the data, the authorized distributor of the data, and the relevant funding agency bear no responsibility for use of the data or for interpretations or inferences based upon such uses.