A collaborative effort between the World Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, this study starts from the premise that further development and reform of basic market institutions in South Eastern Europe are the key to increasing investment. Analyzing official governmental data, the two rounds of the Business Environment and Enterprise Performance Survey conducted in 1999 and 2002, and 40 enterprise-level case studies, the study assesses competition and economic barriers to business entry and exit; access to regulated utilities and services; corporate ownership, financial transparency, and access to finance; and commercial dispute resolution. The countries examined are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Moldova, Romania, and Serbia and Montenegro.