This research of registered businesses with one to four employees was conducted in Burkina Faso from May 15, 2008, to Oct. 10, 2009, at the same time with 2009 Burkina Faso Enterprise Survey. Data from 123 establishments was analyzed. Micro-Enterprise Survey topics include firm characteristics, gender participation, access to finance, annual sales, costs of inputs/labor, workforce composition, bribery, licensing, infrastructure, trade, crime, competition, capacity utilization, land and permits, taxation, informality, business-government relations, innovation and technology, and performance measures. Over 90% of the questions objectively ascertain characteristics of a country’s business environment. The remaining questions assess the survey respondents’ opinions on what are the obstacles to firm growth and performance.
