Despite
its economic success, foreign direct investment (FDI) in Slovenia
has lagged behind the region average, and taxes remain relatively
high. Furthermore, the labor market is often seen as inflexible, and
legacy industries are losing sales to more competitive firms in
China, India, and elsewhere.

Solomon Islands
The bulk of the population depends on agriculture,
fishing, and forestry for at least part of its livelihood. Most
manufactured goods and petroleum products must be imported. The
islands are rich in undeveloped mineral resources such as lead,
zinc, nickel, and gold. Prior to the arrival of the Regional
Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI), severe ethnic
violence, the closing of key businesses, and an empty government
treasury culminated in economic collapse. RAMSI's efforts to restore
law and order and economic stability have led to modest growth as
the economy rebuilds.

Somalia
Despite the lack of effective national governance, Somalia
has maintained a healthy informal economy, largely based on
livestock, remittance/money transfer companies, and
telecommunications. Agriculture is the most important sector, with
livestock normally accounting for about 40% of GDP and about 65% of
export earnings. Nomads and semi-pastoralists, who are dependent
upon livestock for their livelihood, make up a large portion of the
population. Livestock, hides, fish, charcoal, and bananas are
Somalia's principal exports, while sugar, sorghum, corn, qat, and
machined goods are the principal imports. Somalia's small industrial
sector, based on the processing of agricultural products, has
largely been looted and sold as scrap metal. Somalia's service
sector also has grown. Telecommunication firms provide wireless
services in most major cities and offer the lowest international
call rates on the continent. In the absence of a formal banking
sector, money exchange services have sprouted throughout the
country, handling between $500 million and $1 billion in remittances
annually. Mogadishu's main market offers a variety of goods from
food to the newest electronic gadgets. Hotels continue to operate
and are supported with private-security militias. Somalia's arrears
to the IMF continued to grow in 2006-07. Statistics on Somalia's
GDP, growth, per capita income, and inflation should be viewed
skeptically. In late December 2004, a major tsunami