UN releases Guiding Principles on human rights impact assessments of economic reforms, begging the question of how the IMF will respond.
Middle East & North Africa
Rights
Commentary
World Bank and IMF Annual Meetings marred by clampdown on People’s Global Conference
Clampdown on civil society leaves stain on this year’s Annual Meetings, as global civic space is increasingly under threat
IFI governance
Analysis
Great Expectations a year on: IMF moving the needle on inequality but not yet the gear
One year after Oxfam study, IMF making progress on inequality agenda but still needs a fundamental shift
Conditionality
Analysis
The political cost of IMF programmes
As Jordan is engulfed in social unrest and political upheaval, questions are raised around the relationship between IMF conditionality and trends in instability.
Social services
Analysis
Pro-poor or anti-poor? The World Bank and IMF’s approach to social protection
Stephen Kidd critiques Bretton Woods Institutions' approach to targeted social protection systems, arguing the poor lose out the most.
Conditionality
Commentary
Tunisians take to the streets over IMF-imposed austerity
Despite claiming to no longer support austerity, the IMF has imposed damaging cutbacks on the people of Tunisia as part of its loan conditionality, leading to widespread discontent on Tunisian streets.
Rights
Analysis
The IMF in insecure fragile states: why being absent should no longer be an option
While there is scope to improve IMF operations in all fragile states, ahead of the forthcoming publication of the IMF IEO review of IMF work in fragile states, there is one fundamental change it must make to transform its effectiveness in fragile states: wherever it is possible, it must be present. No country should be left out.
Private Sector
Analysis
How the Bank’s push for microcredit failed the poor
Originally created to help the poor escape poverty and deprivation, the World Bank became the most important advocate for the commercialised microcredit model. Yet, critics argued it undermined the chances of sustainable and equitable development to create a poverty trap of historic proportions.
Rights
Analysis
The IMF, Gender Equality and Labour
BWP briefing explores IMF's labour market policies in the context of women in the informal economy and suggests they will not contribute to decreasing inequalities.
Gender
News
The World Bank’s new Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative: Recycling a broken model?
World Bank launches new We-Fi fund for women entrepeneurs, but concerns raised that fund won't reach poorest women.
Conditionality
Commentary
Protecting the victories of the ‘IMF Spring’
The IMF's recognition of the importance of inequality is under threat. Concerns have been raised about complacency and even the reversal of the IMF's recent progress on inequality, while IMF staff continue to operationalise new policy advice on inequality in surveillance and lending programmes.
Conditionality
Background
The IMF and World Bank policies and the Arab world’s transition economies
Notes from the Civil Society Policy Forum Session at the 2017 World Bank and IMF Spring Meetings on IMF and World Bank programmes in the MENA Region.
