The documented dataset covers Enterprise Survey (ES) panel data collected in Malawi in 2009 and 2014, as part of Africa Enterprise Surveys roll-out, an initiative of the World Bank. New Enterprise Surveys target a sample consisting of longitudinal (panel) observations and new cross-sectional data. Panel firms are prioritized in the sample selection, comprising up to 50% of the sample in the current wave. For all panel firms, regardless of the sample, current eligibility or operating status is determined and included in panel datasets. Malawi ES 2014 was conducted between April 2014 and February 2015, Malawi ES 2009 was carried out in May July 2009. The objective of the Enterprise Survey is to obtain feedback from enterprises on the state of the private sector as well as to help in building a panel of enterprise data that will make it possible to track changes in the business environment over time, thus allowing, for example, impact assessments of reforms. Through interviews with firms in the manufacturing and services sectors, the survey assesses the constraints to private sector growth and creates statistically significant business environment indicators that are comparable across countries. Stratified random sampling was used to select the surveyed businesses. The data was collected using face-to-face interviews. Data from 673 establishments was analyzed: 436 businesses were from 2014 ES only, 63 from 2009 ES only, and 174 firms were from both 2009 and 2014 panels. The standard Enterprise Survey topics include firm characteristics, gender participation, access to finance, annual sales, costs of inputs and 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 percent of the questions objectively measure 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.
