The World Bank has issued a discussion paper for consultation before revising its operational directive on adjustment lending. On 18 July 2002 London was the first in a series of cities to host a consultation meeting. NGOs have raised concerns about the consultation process and the ability of the World Bank to learn lessons from the past on structural adjustment.
Conditionality
Land
News
IFI role in Southern Africa famine condemned
A new study from Oxfam questions why, after years of World Bank and IMF-designed agricultural sector reforms, Malawi, Zambia, and Mozambique face chronic food insecurity.
Conditionality
News
Sri Lanka rushing reforms to please IMF, WB
Sri Lanka has launched a “fast-track” legislative process to intensify economic and social reforms, in order to secure new IMF and World Bank loans.
Accountability
News
New report queries World Bank influence over PRSP analysis
The World Bank plays a powerful role in determining the policies chosen by PRSP countries. A new report provides a critical assessment of the current moves to introduce Poverty and Social Impact Analysis (PSIA), and recommends taking further action to break the Bank’s near monopoly on development analysis and control of policy formulation process.
Conditionality
Analysis
Blinding with Science or encouraging debate?
This report examines the powerful roles of the World Bank in determining the policies chosen by PRSP countries. It provides a critical assessment of the current moves to introduce Poverty and Social Impact Analysis (PSIA), and recommends taking further action to break the Bank’s near monopoly on development analysis and control of policy formulation process.
Knowledge
Analysis
Cornering the Market: The World Bank and trade capacity building
The Bank’s role in trade capacity building affords enormous influence over the hearts and minds of trade policy makers and the way in which trade is mainstreamed into national development plans. The initial experience of the Integrated Framework programme shows that there is reason for concern. (September 2002)
Accountability
News
Indonesian MPs: write-off IMF loans
One hundred members of the Indonesian parliament wrote to the heads of the IMF and World Bank, condemning the institutions for implementing “disastrous orthodox macroeconomic policies”.
Conditionality
News
Ugandan MP denounces Bank/Fund prescriptions
Ugandan MP Sheila Mishembi Kawamara, at a 5 June meeting of East African legislative members, said that countries such as China, Mauritius, Vietnam and Thailand had refused to take World Bank and IMF prescriptions and their economies were thriving.
Conditionality
News
IMF fiddles while Argentina burns
A synthesis of the last two months in the ongoing negotiations between the IMF and the Argentine government.
Conditionality
News
Rebranding adjustment: the World Bank and “development policy support lending”
The World Bank has issued a discussion paper for consultation before revising its operational directive on adjustment lending. Concerns over changes to the ceiling on policy-based lending and a shift towards less mandatory directives, as well as the conultation process itself, have been raised by NGOs.
