BOOKS Enforcing the rules in a global economy: The emergence of structural conditionality in the…
Research
Knowledge
News
Doing Business 2019: World Bank’s tunnel vision obscures calls for reform
The Doing Business Report 2019 criticised by civil society over its promotion of deregulation and low business tax.
Knowledge
Background
Call for critical resources on World Bank and IMF for 2017
Request for critical IMF and World Bank resources of 2017.
Knowledge
Background
World Bank’s Doing Business report
This Inside the Institutions looks at the Doing Business report and retraces key steps in its history and development, explains how ratings are calculated and outlines some of the main criticisms regarding its methodology and ideological background.
Rights
News
ILO paper questions IMF research on labour market reforms
A recent ILO publication finds major methodological flaws in reserach papers that the IMF used to justify the weakening of labour regulation.
Knowledge
News
Business as usual: World Bank rejects Doing Business reforms
World Bank publishes minor changes to its Doing Business report, addressing only one of the criticisms of an independent panel review while activists continue to highlight the damage done by the rankings.
Trade
Background
The future of Doing Business
Sponsors: EURODAD, International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), International Working Group on Trade-Finance Linkages Panelists: Natalia Speer…
Social services
News
Poland reverses World Bank-promoted pension scheme
Poland has taken public control of a World-Bank-promoted private-asset-managed pension scheme which was causing huge losses, but the Bank continues to deny blame.
Knowledge
News
Civil society reacts to 2014 World Bank Doing Business report
Civil society organisations react to the latest Doing Business Report and call for reforms.
Knowledge
Background
IMF forecasting models
Forecasting models are crucial to how the Fund performs its role as lender and global economic monitor, but the assumptions underpinning these models are frequently derided as unrealistic.
Featured briefings
15 August 2019
The World Bank and gender equality: Development Policy Financing
New BWP briefing offers critical gender analysis of World Bank lending instrument to borrowing countries.
30 July 2019
The Bretton Woods Observer: Summer 2019
30 July 2019
The Bretton Woods Institutions and the second crisis of multilateralism
At 75, the World Bank and IMF face a crisis of multilateralism in no small part of their own making as failed economic policies have resulted in skepticism of the international order they helped to create.