Risky Business: The World's Least Business-Friendly Countries
The risk consultancy Maplecroft has found "complicity in the violation of human rights constitute the most significant environmental, social and governance (ESG) risk faced by investors in the fast growing BRIC economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China." In their newly released survey, the company also lists some of the least hospitable places for a business to operate:
According to Maplecroftâ??s results, the 10 countries with the highest levels of ESG risk are Somalia, North Korea and Myanmar, which are classified as â??extreme risk,â?? while South Sudan, Haiti, DR Congo, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan and Pakistan sit within the â??high riskâ?? category.However, global investment is centred in the new financial powerhouses of the BRICs, along with other emerging growth markets, such as Indonesia, Mexico, Nigeria, the Philippines and Viet Nam, and it is in these countries where responsible investors will be particularly exposed to ESG risks.
