ABSTRACT
Regulatory reforms have been undertaken in many Western countries to deal with a range of economic problems, such as the failure of public ownership and Keynesianism in sustaining economic growth, the pressure of globalisation for policy convergence and the demand on governments for improving the investment environment and economising public resources (Janow 1998: 216). One of these reforms is to overhaul the regime of business licences. It involves slashing the number of licences required in business activities, simplifying the procedures in obtaining licences and making the licensing regime more transparent. As these measures entail curtailing a government’s licensing authority, reforming the system of business licences has the potential of improving administrative efficiency, economising the use of state resources and fighting corruption.
