World Bank Group

IFI governance

News

Bank health loans fail check-up

The World Bank’s Operations Evaluation Unit recently criticised Bank loans for Health, Nutrition and Population (HNP).

15 June 1999

Knowledge

News

Bank Poverty Assessments - “irrelevant”?

The Bank’s Poverty Assessments contain “relatively little of policy relevance” because of their narrow focus on income-based poverty lines, according to a report by the Institute of Social Studies, The Hague.

14 April 1999

Knowledge

News

Democracy and civil society rise up Bank’s agenda

At the end of February the World Bank and the Government of Korea hosted a conference entitled Democracy, Market Economy and Development.

15 March 1999

Knowledge

News

South Africans expose Stiglitz “illusion”

In January, some 50 South African civil society activists challenged World Bank Chief Economist Joe Stiglitz in Johannesburg, concluding that his responses “shattered the illusion that the World Bank is undergoing fundamental transformation”.

15 March 1999

Knowledge

News

Bank/Fund growth model questioned

Both ENDS and the Bretton Woods Project co-organised a roundtable meeting in early March to discuss the World Bank and IMF’s core economic models.

15 March 1999

News

Surveys show tough views on Bank and Fund

Respondents to two recent surveys revealed widespread continuing mistrust of Bank and Fund approaches.

15 March 1999

Private Sector

News

New IFC chief expresses need for new inspiration

Peter Woicke, new Executive Vice President of IFC (the World Bank’s private finance investment arm) told IFC magazine Impact why he left J.P. Morgan Securities after 29 years.

15 March 1999

IFI governance

News

World Bank outlines plans for more active European engagement

The Bank’s new Vice President for Europe, Jean-Francois Rischard aims to increase the Bank’s engagement with European NGOs and academics.

15 March 1999

Infrastructure

News

Narmada dam construction restarts

Construction has restarted on the Sardar Sarovar (Narmada) dam, Western India, after a decision by the Supreme Court.

15 March 1999

Private Sector

News

Confusion about WB private sector review

Government officials who negotiated contributions to the Bank’s IDA 12 lending window agreed with the Bank that “a clear private sector development strategy should be established for the World bank Group during the course of 1999 to guide the work of the IBRD, IDA, IFC and MIGA”.

15 March 1999

Infrastructure

News

Dams Commission workplan nears completion

The World Commission on Dams has nearly completed its workplan and selected consultants to lead work on the thematic reviews.

15 March 1999

Accountability

News

Corporate lobbying at the Bank exposed

A recent article in the Legal Times alleges that there is significant corporate lobbying of the World Bank.

15 March 1999