Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (AREU) Briefing Paper Series- Putting the Cart Before the Horse? Privatization and Economic Reform in Afghanistan

This paper examines the necessary reforms needed to ensure successful privatization of select state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in Afghanistan. At the time of writing, the World Bank ranked Afghanistan as one of the least capable countries in the world at protecting investors in its Doing Business Report 2006. The authors argue the country should be more transparent in the economy, clarify the process of privatization and ownership transferal, disseminate information to the public in a timely manner, and coordinate reforms with restructuring.