A new book challenges global institutions and anti-globalisation activists with proposals for stronger but radically…
Strategy/roles
Environment
News
World Bank announces renewed big infrastructure push
The World Bank President has pledged that the Bank will revive its support for megaprojects and a new report expresses serious concerns about the Bank's track record in this area.
Finance
News
Report condemns IMF ability to anticipate and prevent crises
A US Government Accounting Office (GAO) report finds serious shortcomings to recent IMF efforts to improve its capacity to predict and prevent financial crises, which is at the core of its mandate.
IFI governance
News
“US-driven” World Bank “forces its view on developing countries” - poll
A survey released by the World Bank in June gave the institution very low marks on poverty reduction and the environment and found that it is more “US-driven” than some years ago.
Environment
News
Activists oppose Bank ‘clean development’ credits for Brazilian forest plantation
One of the first pilot projects using the World Bank's climate change carbon trading programmes has come under fire from local groups for endorsing destructive tree plantations.
IFI governance
News
Frustration at limited governance discussions
A serious effort to improve Southern country voice at the institutions would require going far beyond capacity-building to change the composition, voting shares and transparency of the Bank/Fund Boards.
Finance
Commentary
Fund threatens Brazilian democracy
Aur
Conditionality
News
The IMF in Latin America: tough cop, social worker or skunk?
Three recent papers which attempt to analyse the IMF’s role in the Argentinean crisis are examined: ex-IMF senior economist Michael Mussa, the Center for Global Development’s Nancy Birdsall and Mark Weisbrot of the Center for Economic and Policy Research.
Rights
News
Bank declaration of human rights
The World Bank president has asked his staff to prepare a human rights strategy, ending a long-standing aversion to engaging in the debate. But how far can the Bank go when its board and legal staff are urging extreme caution?
Social services
News
Ghanaians contest Bank-backed water privatisation
A broad coalition of organisations is challenging the plan to privatise Ghana’s water system. They complain that the World Bank and IMF-promoted scheme will not extend services to poorer people or ensure fair pricing. The deal - which the IMF has just made part of its new conditions for Ghana - reflects the biases of the consultants which drew it up at a cost of $3million.
