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Courts (PDF, 691KB), by Simeon Djankov and others, Quarterly Journal of Economics, May 2003.
This topic looks at the efficiency of contract enforcement by following the evolution of a sale of goods dispute and tracking the time, cost, and number of procedures involved from the moment the plaintiff files the lawsuit until actual payment.
The table below shows the three main indicators for enforcing contracts. They are:
Courts (PDF, 691KB), by Simeon Djankov and others, Quarterly Journal of Economics, May 2003.
| Region or Economy | Procedures (number) | Time (days) | Cost (% of claim) |
|---|---|---|---|
| OECD | 30.6 | 462.4 | 19.2 |
| Middle East & North Africa | 43.4 | 679.9 | 23.7 |
| Eastern Europe & Central Asia | 37.1 | 450.9 | 25.6 |
| South Asia | 43.5 | 1,052.9 | 27.2 |
| Latin America & Caribbean | 39.7 | 707.0 | 31.3 |
| East Asia & Pacific | 37.2 | 538.1 | 48.5 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | 39.2 | 643.9 | 49.3 |
| Bhutan | 47 | 225 | 0.1 |
| Iceland | 26 | 417 | 6.2 |
| Luxembourg | 26 | 321 | 9.7 |
| Norway | 33 | 280 | 9.9 |
| Korea, Rep. | 35 | 230 | 10.3 |
| Finland | 32 | 375 | 10.4 |
| China | 34 | 406 | 11.1 |
| Poland | 38 | 830 | 12.0 |
| Thailand | 35 | 479 | 12.3 |
| Slovenia | 32 | 1,290 | 12.7 |
| Hungary | 33 | 395 | 13.0 |
| Portugal | 31 | 547 | 13.0 |
| Russian Federation | 37 | 281 | 13.4 |
| Oman | 51 | 598 | 13.5 |
| Croatia | 38 | 561 | 13.8 |
| Seychelles | 38 | 720 | 14.3 |
| Tanzania | 38 | 462 | 14.3 |
| Germany | 30 | 394 | 14.4 |
| Greece | 39 | 819 | 14.4 |
| United States | 32 | 300 | 14.4 |
| Bahrain | 48 | 635 | 14.7 |
| Ethiopia | 37 | 620 | 15.2 |
| Cyprus | 43 | 735 | 16.4 |
| Argentina | 36 | 590 | 16.5 |
| Brazil | 45 | 616 | 16.5 |
| Maldives | 41 | 665 | 16.5 |
| Yemen, Rep. | 36 | 520 | 16.5 |
| Belgium | 25 | 505 | 16.6 |
| Iran, Islamic Rep. | 39 | 520 | 17.0 |
| Spain | 39 | 515 | 17.2 |
| France | 29 | 331 | 17.4 |
| Mauritius | 36 | 720 | 17.4 |
| Taiwan, China | 47 | 510 | 17.7 |
| Austria | 25 | 397 | 18.0 |
| Azerbaijan | 39 | 237 | 18.5 |
| Equatorial Guinea | 40 | 553 | 18.5 |
| Kuwait | 50 | 566 | 18.8 |
| Turkey | 35 | 420 | 18.8 |
| Armenia | 48 | 285 | 19.0 |
| Uruguay | 40 | 720 | 19.0 |
| El Salvador | 30 | 786 | 19.2 |
| Hong Kong, China | 24 | 280 | 19.5 |
| Lesotho | 41 | 695 | 19.5 |
| Samoa | 44 | 455 | 19.7 |
| Sudan | 53 | 810 | 19.8 |
| St. Kitts and Nevis | 47 | 578 | 20.5 |
| Australia | 28 | 395 | 20.7 |
| Moldova | 31 | 365 | 20.9 |
| West Bank and Gaza | 44 | 600 | 21.2 |
| Qatar | 43 | 570 | 21.6 |
| Cape Verde | 37 | 425 | 21.8 |
| Tunisia | 39 | 565 | 21.8 |
| Algeria | 46 | 630 | 21.9 |
| Kazakhstan | 38 | 390 | 22.0 |
| Uzbekistan | 42 | 195 | 22.2 |
| Canada | 36 | 570 | 22.3 |
| New Zealand | 30 | 216 | 22.4 |
| Eritrea | 39 | 405 | 22.6 |
| Antigua and Barbuda | 45 | 351 | 22.7 |
| Japan | 30 | 360 | 22.7 |
| Sri Lanka | 40 | 1,318 | 22.8 |
| Ghana | 36 | 487 | 23.0 |
| Latvia | 27 | 309 | 23.1 |
| Swaziland | 40 | 972 | 23.1 |
| Mauritania | 46 | 370 | 23.2 |
| Denmark | 34 | 380 | 23.3 |
| Belarus | 28 | 225 | 23.4 |
| United Kingdom | 30 | 399 | 23.4 |
| Lithuania | 30 | 275 | 23.6 |
| Bulgaria | 39 | 564 | 23.8 |
| Pakistan | 47 | 976 | 23.8 |
| Switzerland | 31 | 417 | 24.0 |
| Costa Rica | 40 | 852 | 24.3 |
| Puerto Rico | 39 | 620 | 24.3 |
| Netherlands | 25 | 514 | 24.4 |
| Afghanistan | 47 | 1,642 | 25.0 |
| Guinea-Bissau | 41 | 1,140 | 25.0 |
| Guyana | 36 | 581 | 25.2 |
| Morocco | 40 | 615 | 25.2 |
| Israel | 35 | 890 | 25.3 |
| Tajikistan | 34 | 430 | 25.5 |
| Montenegro | 49 | 545 | 25.7 |
| Kiribati | 32 | 660 | 25.8 |
| Singapore | 21 | 150 | 25.8 |
| Philippines | 37 | 842 | 26.0 |
| Egypt, Arab Rep. | 41 | 1,010 | 26.2 |
| United Arab Emirates | 49 | 537 | 26.2 |
| Estonia | 36 | 425 | 26.3 |
| Guatemala | 31 | 1,459 | 26.5 |
| Senegal | 44 | 780 | 26.5 |
| Nepal | 39 | 735 | 26.8 |
| Nicaragua | 35 | 540 | 26.8 |
| Ireland | 20 | 515 | 26.9 |
| Ecuador | 39 | 588 | 27.2 |
| Iraq | 51 | 520 | 27.3 |
| Marshall Islands | 36 | 476 | 27.4 |
| Belize | 51 | 892 | 27.5 |
| Malaysia | 30 | 585 | 27.5 |
| Saudi Arabia | 43 | 635 | 27.5 |
| Botswana | 29 | 687 | 28.0 |
| Vietnam | 34 | 295 | 28.5 |
| Chile | 36 | 480 | 28.6 |
| Bahamas, the | 49 | 427 | 28.9 |
| Romania | 31 | 512 | 28.9 |
| Serbia | 36 | 635 | 28.9 |
| Kyrgyz Republic | 39 | 260 | 29.0 |
| Syrian Arab Republic | 55 | 872 | 29.3 |
| Georgia | 36 | 285 | 29.9 |
| Italy | 40 | 1,210 | 29.9 |
| Paraguay | 38 | 591 | 30.0 |
| Slovak Republic | 30 | 565 | 30.0 |
| St. Vincent and the Grenadines | 45 | 394 | 30.3 |
| Tonga | 37 | 350 | 30.5 |
| Mongolia | 32 | 314 | 30.6 |
| Lebanon | 37 | 721 | 30.8 |
| Jordan | 38 | 689 | 31.2 |
| Sweden | 30 | 508 | 31.2 |
| Lao PDR | 42 | 443 | 31.6 |
| Mexico | 38 | 415 | 32.0 |
| Nigeria | 39 | 457 | 32.0 |
| Zimbabwe | 38 | 410 | 32.0 |
| Grenada | 47 | 688 | 32.6 |
| Czech Republic | 27 | 611 | 33.0 |
| Macedonia, FYR | 37 | 370 | 33.1 |
| Bolivia | 40 | 591 | 33.2 |
| South Africa | 30 | 600 | 33.2 |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 42 | 1,340 | 33.5 |
| Djibouti | 40 | 1,225 | 34.0 |
| Gabon | 38 | 1,070 | 34.3 |
| Liberia | 41 | 1,280 | 35.0 |
| Honduras | 45 | 900 | 35.2 |
| Palau | 38 | 885 | 35.3 |
| Peru | 41 | 428 | 35.7 |
| Namibia | 33 | 270 | 35.8 |
| Dominica | 47 | 681 | 36.0 |
| Brunei Darussalam | 58 | 540 | 36.6 |
| Suriname | 44 | 1,715 | 37.1 |
| St. Lucia | 47 | 635 | 37.3 |
| Gambia, the | 32 | 434 | 37.9 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 38 | 595 | 38.4 |
| Burundi | 44 | 832 | 38.6 |
| Albania | 39 | 390 | 38.7 |
| Zambia | 35 | 471 | 38.7 |
| Fiji | 34 | 397 | 38.9 |
| India | 46 | 1,420 | 39.6 |
| Dominican Republic | 34 | 460 | 40.9 |
| Ukraine | 30 | 345 | 41.5 |
| Côte d'Ivoire | 33 | 770 | 41.7 |
| Madagascar | 38 | 871 | 42.4 |
| Haiti | 35 | 508 | 42.6 |
| Venezuela, R.B. | 29 | 510 | 43.7 |
| Angola | 46 | 1,011 | 44.4 |
| Uganda | 38 | 510 | 44.9 |
| Guinea | 50 | 276 | 45.0 |
| Jamaica | 35 | 655 | 45.6 |
| Cameroon | 43 | 800 | 46.6 |
| Kenya | 40 | 465 | 47.2 |
| Togo | 41 | 588 | 47.5 |
| Panama | 31 | 686 | 50.0 |
| São Tomé and Principe | 43 | 1,185 | 50.5 |
| Mali | 36 | 626 | 52.0 |
| Colombia | 34 | 1,346 | 52.6 |
| Congo, Rep. | 44 | 560 | 53.2 |
| Niger | 39 | 545 | 59.6 |
| Kosovo | 53 | 420 | 61.2 |
| Bangladesh | 41 | 1,442 | 63.3 |
| Benin | 42 | 825 | 64.7 |
| Micronesia, Fed. Sts. | 34 | 965 | 66.0 |
| Vanuatu | 30 | 430 | 74.7 |
| Chad | 41 | 743 | 77.4 |
| Rwanda | 24 | 260 | 78.7 |
| Solomon Islands | 37 | 455 | 78.9 |
| Central African Republic | 43 | 660 | 82.0 |
| Burkina Faso | 37 | 446 | 83.0 |
| Comoros | 43 | 506 | 89.4 |
| Cambodia | 44 | 401 | 102.7 |
| Papua New Guinea | 42 | 591 | 110.3 |
| Indonesia | 39 | 570 | 122.7 |
| Malawi | 42 | 432 | 142.4 |
| Mozambique | 30 | 730 | 142.5 |
| Sierra Leone | 40 | 515 | 149.5 |
| Congo, Dem. Rep. | 43 | 625 | 151.8 |
| Timor-Leste | 51 | 1,435 | 163.2 |