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PurposeGiven the importance of legal parity between women and men in today's world and lack of research in this domain, the purpose of this paper is to identify gender‐based distinctions in formal laws and institutions that may directly or indirectly affect women's prospects as entrepreneurs and employees.Design/methodology/approachCovering 128 economies, it establishes six indicators of gender differences in formal laws and institutions: accessing institutions; using property; getting a job; dealing with taxes; building credit; and going to court. The first three indicators capture laws that have direct gender dimensions and are based on a reading of such laws from the perspective of individual women. The fourth indicator examines the direct and indirect gender implications of tax policy from the perspective of four standardised families with varying tax liabilities. The last two indicators examine the ease of access to credit bureaus and courts to examine the indirect effects that microfinance institutions and dispute resolution have on women, who are more likely to rely on non‐traditional financial services. The questions used to construct each indicator were chosen based on data availability, economic relevance and variation of regulation across economies.FindingsThe findings of the study pointed out that every region contains economies with unequal rules for men and women, with the extent of inequality varying by region.Research limitations/implicationsThis research does not test or analyse outcome variables of gender inequality; it simply identifies whether the law is equal for women and men, which can be a potential source of inequitable gender outcomes.Practical implicationsThis research offers valuable practical insights for employees and entrepreneurs to improve understanding of how legal and regulatory environments shape opportunities for women and contribute to more informed policy discussions.Originality/valueThe paper provides interesting insights into research on linkages between legal differentiation and outcomes for women, and helps inform policy dialogue on things governments can do to expand women's opportunities. It is the first attempt to measure the gender gap in policy variables using quantitative and objective data.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to highlight findings from the dialogue and proceeding research report presented by the Gender and Public Policy Programme partnered with Al‐Sayedah Khadijah Bint Khuwailid Businesswomen Center and Monitor Group at the 2010 Dubai School of Government.Design/methodology/approachA selected paper on women entrepreneurship activity in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) was chosen from the proceedings report at the conference for this paper. The programme participants included prominent business leaders and experts from the Gulf region.FindingsThe findings presented in this paper clearly illustrate that Saudi female entrepreneurs are generally confident, educated, optimistic about the future and resourceful. However, they face several main challenges such as gender‐specific obstacles in the regulatory environment, limited access to and use of formal capital and financing mechanisms, and the need for increased integration of sophisticated marketing and technology tools into business operations and greater availability of key support services.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper mainly focuses on women entrepreneurs in the KSA. To give a clear picture of the women's entrepreneurial activities in Middle East and North Africa region, the opinions of women located in other countries need to be investigated.Practical implicationsThe research has implications for government and non‐governmental organisations, financial institutions or other related business development agencies to formulate effective policy and appropriate strategy to motivate Saudi women to become entrepreneurs.Originality/valueThere are few Arab studies that have focused on growth‐oriented, women‐owned and operated businesses. The selected research paper gives some insight into the issues of women entrepreneurs from an Arab world.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to offer an account of gender and investment climate reform in the Pacific region.Design/methodology/approachThis six‐country research studies face‐to‐face interviews with a variety of stakeholders including: private sector representative bodies; private sector operators; banks and micro‐credit institutions; lawyers; civil society; government departments and bodies; and donors in Papua New Guinea, Timor‐Leste, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Tonga, and Samoa.FindingsThe findings recognised the solutions identified to address gender‐based investment climate barriers which constrain women's economic empowerment in six Pacific nations.Practical implicationsThis research offers valuable practical insights for policy makers, the judiciaries, the private sectors, women's business organizations, and financial institutions.Originality/valueThe paper offers an unprecedented level of new information about gender and investment climate reform in the Pacific region.

PurposeInterest in women entrepreneurs from various backgrounds has led to increased publication in the literature about particular women's entrepreneurship issues. However, notwithstanding the importance of this area, little information exists about women entrepreneurs' business practices, survival and growth strategies and their perceptions of entrepreneurial careers; indeed, many questions remain unanswered. To address this gap, this study aims to explore some of these questions by considering women entrepreneurs in Arab countries, more specifically, women's entrepreneurship activities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), a country with unwritten social mores in a patriarchal, male dominant society. The key objective is to examine these women's personal characteristics, motivation factors, business challenges and perception on entrepreneurial behaviours.Design/methodology/approachBecause of the lack of statistical data and difficulties conducting studies in an Arabic society, this study employed a qualitative research methodology. The research comprised 19 in‐depth interviews with Saudi women entrepreneurs who were identified through referrals from the Women's Section of the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry.FindingsThe Saudi women entrepreneurs were found to exhibit many similarities with their counterparts in other Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region countries in terms of their personality traits. However, they differed in other aspects such as their educational backgrounds and the manner in which they acquired entrepreneurial skills. The findings suggest some strategies to contribute to greater success rates for women entrepreneurs in Islamic countries, where entrepreneurial activities are nascent but growing.Research limitations/implicationsThe main limitation of the study is the restricted locale of the sample. A more extensive study is needed and future research should be more diverse – including widening the selection of respondents, industries and countries.Practical implicationsThe paper shows that women's entrepreneurial activities in KSA are important to economic and social development. Saudi women's entrepreneurship, properly harnessed, has great potential as a tool for transforming the economy.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the literature on gender‐related business barriers due to the scarcity of publications about women's economic activities in the MENA region, specifically in KSA. The paper is also valuable for policy makers in KSA and researchers wishing to pursue indigenous entrepreneurship and gender studies.

PurposePrevious studies on scanning behaviour focused mainly on the performance of the private sector, leaving the public sector, especially local authorities (LAs), largely understudied. Primarily, this paper aims to examine the element of strategic management tools associated with the impact of environmental scanning (ES) on organisational performance in the LAs. It explores the above relationship in the context of public sector organisations in Malaysia.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative approach has been used for this study where the data were collected through a mail survey (n=75) of local authorities in Malaysia, which consists of four categories – City Council/City Hall, Municipal Council, District Council and organisations that exercise the functions of local authorities.FindingsOverall, the results show that the scope of general environmental scanning is seen as a prerequisite to the successful alignment of competitive strategies as a result of changing the needs and demands of the larger society, and the diverse nature of businesses. In the context of Malaysian LAs, there is a significant relationship between the environmental scanning (operation) and the overall achievement of the organisation's performance.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper is limited to the Malaysian context, and, hence, the findings cannot be applied generally.Practical implicationsThis study could be used effectively as a road map to assist the council members, senior staff and stakeholders in evaluating their success and steering the organisation's performance and sustainability.Originality/valueThis paper provides important insights into the performance of local governments in Malaysia. To the authors' knowledge, this study is the first attempt to look at a more holistic perspective in exploring environmental scanning of LAs in the country. Increased understanding in this area is of critical importance in relation to implementing effectively the current and future modernisation and reform initiatives. It is of interest to both researchers and practitioners.