Improved Business Environment

The indicator measures whether the targeted producers / shopkeepers / service providers experienced tangible benefits from the changes achieved in their business environment. For example, small businesses report saving time and money when registering their businesses; increased business revenues due to a reduction of informal payments / duties paid to authorities; women-run businesses report improved access to financial services, etc.

Collect the following data by conducting individual interviews with a representative number of the target group members:

RECOMMENDED SURVEY QUESTION (Q) AND POSSIBLE ANSWERS (A)

The data enumerators should first explain the change(s) in the business environment that took place as a result of the intervention. Ensure that they explain these in a very neutral manner – stating only what has changed and not expressing whether such changes were positive or not (otherwise, they might influence the respondent, and you will receive unreliable data). As a second step, they should ask:

Q1: Have you heard about this change before?

A1: yes / no / is not sure

Q2: In your opinion, has the change had any positive or negative influence on your business? Clarify: If you do not know whether it had any influence, that is also fine, feel free to tell me.

A2: _

1. it had a positive influence
2. it had a negative influence
3. it did not have any influence
4. does not know

(the following question is recommended but not mandatory; ask it only if the responded replied that the change had a positive influence)

Q3: What were the main positives that you experienced as a result of the change?

A3: (adjust the options based on your context; multiple answers possible; probe: Have you experienced any other positives?)

1) higher sales

2) cost savings

3) time savings

4) access to better quality products

5) access to a wider range of products

6) easier access to services (e.g. financial services, energy)

7) opportunity to voice business-related concerns to authorities or other relevant stakeholders

8) define other possible answers based on the context of your intervention

9) other – specify: …………………………………

To calculate the indicator's value, divide the number of respondents who reported a positive influence by the total number of respondents (exclude those who did not know). Multiply the result by 100 to convert it to a percentage.

Disaggregate the data by the type of business the respondents do and by whether they have heard about the change or not.

1) If you want to gain more reliable data, consider only using the responses of those respondents who have heard about the change (as they are more likely to be able to determine whether the change has helped their businesses or not).

2) It is important to acknowledge that the reported effects are based on the respondents’ perceptions and that other factors might have influenced any positive changes in their business.  A more precise measurement would require comparing, for example, the sales of the target group members with the sales of similar stakeholders who were not exposed to the changes in the business environment.

3) Be aware that it can take time for some changes in the business environment to be experienced by the target group members. Use this indicator only if it is likely that there was enough time for the change to be experienced by the target group members.