TY - BOOK ID - 135646369 TI - Finding a Path to Formalization in Benin : Early Results after the Introduction of the Entreprenant Legal Status. AU - Benhassine, Najy AU - McKenzie, David AU - Pouliquen, Victor AU - Santini, Massimiliano PY - 2015 PB - Washington, D.C. : The World Bank, DB - UniCat KW - Access to bank KW - Account KW - Accounting KW - Administration KW - Administrative process KW - Advertising KW - Artisans KW - Bank account KW - Bank financing KW - Bank loan KW - Banking system KW - Beneficiaries KW - Bookkeeping KW - Budget KW - Business KW - Business activity KW - Business entry KW - Business environment KW - Business facilitation KW - Business in development KW - Business management KW - Business performance KW - Business plan KW - Business registration KW - Business regulation KW - Business services KW - Business training KW - Cash transfers KW - Certificate KW - Chamber of commerce KW - Check KW - Collateral KW - Commerce KW - Commercial bank KW - Commercial law KW - Communication KW - Competitiveness KW - Competitiveness and competition policy KW - Contact information KW - Contract KW - Cost KW - Customers KW - Data KW - Database KW - Debit card KW - Debt markets KW - Deposit KW - Developing countries KW - Direct costs KW - Dummy variable KW - E-business KW - Economic activity KW - Electricity KW - Enabling environment KW - Enterprise development KW - Exchange KW - Finance KW - Finance and financial sector development KW - Financial products KW - Financial statements KW - Firm performance KW - Future KW - Good KW - Human capital KW - ID KW - Impact evaluation KW - Impacts KW - Implementation KW - Implementing agencies KW - Information KW - Information banks KW - Information services KW - Inspection KW - Institution KW - International bank KW - International development KW - International finance KW - Legal environment KW - Levy KW - Liability KW - License KW - Limited liability KW - Link KW - Loan KW - Market KW - Medium enterprises KW - Microenterprises KW - Mobile phone KW - Monitoring KW - Network KW - New markets KW - One-stop shop KW - Open access KW - Option KW - Ownership KW - Performance KW - Phone KW - Phone number KW - Private sector development KW - Productivity KW - Profit KW - Protocol KW - Quality KW - Quality of services KW - Registration process KW - Registration system KW - Result KW - Returns KW - Sales KW - Selling KW - Share KW - Small business KW - Tax KW - Tax exemption KW - Tax forms KW - Tax obligations KW - Tax rate KW - Tax regime KW - Tax system KW - Technical assistance KW - Trade sector KW - Trading KW - Transparency KW - Turnover KW - Unfair competition KW - Uses KW - Web UR - https://www.unicat.be/uniCat?func=search&query=sysid:135646369 AB - In April 2014, the Government of Benin launched the entreprenant status, a simplified and free legal regime offered to small informal businesses to enter the formal economy. This paper presents the short-term results of a randomized impact evaluation testing three different versions of the entreprenant status on business registration decisions, each version including incremental incentives to registration: (i) information on the new legal status and its benefits, (ii) business training, counseling services, and support to open a bank account, (iii) tax mediation services. The study included 3,600 informal businesses operating with a fixed location in Cotonou, Benin, which were randomly allocated between three treatment groups and one control group. One year after the program launch, all versions of the program had significant impact on formalization rates. The impact was 9.1 percentage points in the first treatment group; 13 percentage points in the second group; and 15.8 percentage points in the last group. The program had a higher impact on male business owners, with more education, operating outside Dantokpa Market, in sectors other than trade, and that before being offered the incentives to formalization had characteristics similar to businesses that were already formal. Data from a second follow-up survey, which is expected to take place in March 2016, will explore the impacts on other outcomes, like business performances or access to banking. ER -