Ease of doing business in South and Central Asian countries and the relationship between ease of doing business and exports

Export-led growth is a widely regarded sustainable economic development strategy. Over the past fifty years, many developing countries have aimed to foster local and international businesses operating in their countries and to achieve economic development by attracting foreign investment and enhancing their local business environment. Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) is an index prepared and published by the World Bank that evaluates the business environment and the factors impacting the businesses. While the Ease of Doing Business Index is prepared by calculating the arithmetic mean of 10 sub-criteria, it's evident that all these criteria do not hold the same level of importance. This research uses a hybrid MCDM method made of a SF-AHP and GRA to evaluate the ease of doing business in South and Central Asian Countries. Also, a panel data analysis has been employed to determine the impact of EoDB on the level of exports in low and middle-income economies. The results of the MCDM analysis show that among the 10 criteria that form the EoDB index enforcement of contracts, getting credit, and ease in starting a business hold the most importance. Based on the 2020 data, among the South and Central Asian Countries, Kazakhstan has the highest EoDB ranking, while Afghanistan and Bangladesh rank last. According to the Panel Data Analysis results, considering the data from 2016 to 2020, GDP and economic growth have a substantial and statistically significant impact on exports; meanwhile, EoDB variables' effect on the level of exports is not statistically significant. Moreover, it can not be concluded that using MCDM methods in recalculating the EoDB index makes any significant difference in the Panel Data Analysis.