After reviews of its engagement with low-income members the IMF is in the process of redesigning its programmes, but its recent changes on dealing with aid inflows have not satisfied critics of the Fund's inflexibility in allowing the scaling up of social spending.
Education
Social services
News
Bank and Fund undermining health, education spending
A high powered working group examining the IMF and health spending found that the Fund has unduly constrained counties’ policy choices, while other recent reports accuse the World Bank and the IMF of undermining quality education. Meanwhile, the Bank’s private sector arm has stepped up its support for private schooling in Africa.
Social services
Commentary
World Bank manga
Teaming up with a leading manga publisher (for those of you not down with the youf, manga are Japanese-style graphic novels), the Bank has launched a new series of comic books, each highlighting a key development issue.
Conditionality
Background
IMF macroeconomic policies and the impacts on education budgets and teacher wages
IMF civil society dialogue, spring meetings 2007 (14 April 2007)
IFI governance
Background
Highlights of Hilary Benn meeting with UK NGOs
Highlights of semi-annual meeting between UK Secretary of State for International Development and UK NGOs. Topics covered include CSO access to annual meetings, conditionality, anti-corruption, odious debt, clean energy, education in LICUS, bank internal governance, IFC safeguards
Knowledge
News
World Bank youth report carries familiar prescriptions
Despite bringing much needed attention to the issue of youth and development, NGOs working on children, labour and education have found many familiar World Bank prescriptions in the latest World Development Report published in September.
IFI governance
Background
Highlights of Tom Scholar meeting with UK NGOs
Highlights of quarterly meeting between UK executive director to the World Bank and IMF and UK NGOs. Topics covered include CSO access to annual meetings, IMF strategic review, conditionality, anti-corruption and education.
IFI governance
News
Aumenta la asistencia y disminuye el aprendizaje
La Unidad de Evaluación del Banco dio el visto bueno al Banco por el aumento de niños y niñas que asisten a la escuela primaria y por el acceso de las personas menos favorecidas, pero no dio buenos puntos a los resultados del aprendizaje y al manejo de la educación.
Social services
Background
The World Bank and youth
World Bank and its work on youth
Social services
Commentary
Six reasons why the World Bank should be debarred from education
Author of The State of the Right to Education outlines six reasons why the World Bank is an obstacle for making education all-encompassing, free and compulsory.
Featured briefings
9 June 2025
New data reveal World Bank DPF ‘climate finance’ carries strong private sector bias, undermining a just transition
New BWP briefing finds the World Bank counted 70 per cent of energy-sector reforms in Development Policy Financing as having 'climate co-benefits' between 2018-2023 - but most of these promoted a private-led energy transition.
15 April 2025
The Bretton Woods Observer: Spring 2025
2 April 2025