US slips in list of world's best places to do business

Under the Trump Administration with its pulling out of trade deals, boosting tariffs, and all around unpredictability, the US has fallen two places to eighth position in the World Bank's 2018 ranking of the world's best places to do business. New Zealand, Singapore and Denmark have retained the top three positions for the third consecutive year in the Doing Business Index.

Writing for The Wall Street Journal, Josh Zumbrun reports: "The World Bank’s rankings, which calculate the ease of opening and operating businesses, complying with taxes, and other aspects of an economy’s regulatory environment, are closely watched by businesses and policy makers around the world, with countries frequently orienting their domestic reforms around attempts to rise in the rankings."
“Sound and efficient business regulation is critical for entrepreneurship and a thriving private sector,” said Jim Yong Kim, the president of the World Bank Group.

The World Bank recently launched the Human Capital Index, which ranks countries on a number of health and education dimensions.  "While the U.S. scores eighth on the Doing Business Index, it ranked 24th in the inaugural Human Capital rankings, surpassed by much of Europe and a handful of East Asian nations, where child mortality is lower, fewer children are underdeveloped, and where students stay in school longer and test better.

We can and need to do better!