Re-reading the Invisible Side of a Technology: The Ease of Doing Business Indicator and Its Mechanism in Directing Iranian Business Environment

Spreading the performace assessment regiems in international arena has had tremendous effects on governance of countries across the globe. Specifically, regiems that compare countries and rate and rank them have significant effects on motivations, decisions, policies, public opinions, and investors and stimulate politicians and bureaucrats’ concern about their reputation. The ease of doing business index is one of the most powerful global performance assessment regiems which is directed and supported by the World Bank. The confrontation of politicians, bureaucrates, body of experts, and public opinions with this index is a positive one. They consider this index, in contrast to other indicators, almost neutral and free of underlying values which aims to improve the business environment of Iran. This study, using a qualitative methodology, tries to reread the roots and philosophy of this index in order to depict a clearer picture of this project in the first place, and next to look at this kind of technology from the lense of indicators. Thirdly, this study, employing objective and concrete evidence, examines how ease of doing business index, as a tool, exercises social pressure, shapes policymakers’ mindset confronting related issues, and direct and control the business environment of Iran. This study, finally, provides some implications for Iraninan business environment of Iran confronting this powerful global index. According to the findings of this research, the improvement of the business environment should be pursued through a series of economic and entreuprinerial measures and transformations and global frequently-used rankings in doing business has little implications for that.