A World Bank blog about the benefits of private schooling has been contravened by a UN committee and heavily criticised by civil society
IFI Lending
Social services
News
A poor diagnosis: the World Bank’s health record
World Bank health financing benefits wealthy elites not poorest according to new IEG evaluation and Oxfam analysis
Accountability
Analysis
Conflict-affected states, IFC’s final frontier
The IFC is set to expand operations in fragile and conflict-affected states such as Burma, despite indications that systemic problems identified in Honduras persist.
Finance
Analysis
Where is the public in PPPs? Analysing the World Bank’s support for public-private partnerships
A review of the World Bank’s support for public-private partnerships by the Independent Evaluation Group reveals a lack of proven poverty impacts.
Finance
News
IMF augments new lending facilities after earlier reviews
An IMF review of three new lending facilities has resulted in only "cosmetic" changes critics say.
Environment
News
IFC criticised over Peruvian mine investment
IFC’s accountability mechanism has criticised a series of errors in IFC’s social and environmental risk management of its Peruvian Quellaveco mine investment.
IFI governance
News
Accountability mechanism strongly criticises IFC loan to Honduran bank
An audit by the IFC’s accountability mechanism says the IFC failed to adequately address environmental and social risks when it approved a $70 million loan to Honduran bank Ficohsa.
Finance
Analysis
IFC statements welcome but concrete action needed
Bretton Woods Project response to IFC executive vice president Cai’s Bank blog challenges the IFC’s commitment to address systemic problems.
Conditionality
Analysis
IMF: Ukraine's "tough programme"; Egypt next?
The IMF’s provision of an exceptional access loan to Ukraine was presented as vital economic support, but many commentators fear that this loan is driven as much by political as economic necessity. Despite emphasising increased sensitivity to country circumstances, Fund policy recommendations in Egypt are very similar to its prescriptions for Ukraine.
Infrastructure
Analysis
The rise of the infrastructure giants
World Bank faces increased competition over large scale infrastructure in Asia, with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the BRICS Bank.
Featured briefings
30 March 2021
World Bank and IMF Spring Meetings 2021
23 March 2021
The Bretton Woods Observer: Spring 2021
23 March 2021
Tip of the iceberg: How the call for SDRs reveals the urgency for deeper reforms of the global reserve system to address systemic inequalities
Renewed calls for a substantial SDR allocation raise urgency of reforming the inequitable global reserve ‘non-system’.