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The Elgar Companion to the World Bank
The Elgar Companion to The World Bank provides a comprehensive review of the past 80 years for this powerful development institution. Using different theoretical approaches from an expert group of scholars as well as practitioners, it presents an interdisciplinary exploration of the World Bank and the wider field of International Relations.
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Critical Acclaim
Contents
More Information
The Elgar Companion to The World Bank provides a comprehensive review of the past 80 years for this powerful development institution. Bringing together different theoretical approaches to studying the Bank from an expert group of scholars as well as insights from development practitioners, it presents an interdisciplinary exploration of research on the World Bank and its implications for the broader field of International Relations.
Offering an all-encompassing analysis of the Bank’s activities, this Companion examines the Bank’s interactions with its organizational environment, how it undertakes tasks and pursues its mandate in different policy areas, and how it has adapted to changing environments over time. Split into seven thematic parts, contributors guide the reader through over ten policy areas, including the environment, education, health, and gender and development, discussing the impact and progress made within those areas. Furthermore, they include insightful first-hand accounts of working in this complex organization and discuss prominent criticisms of the Bank, suggesting opportunities for future reform.
Providing key observations and insider perspectives, this Companion is an essential resource for scholars and researchers in the field of international relations as well as other disciplines, including development studies, organizational sociology, and international law.
Offering an all-encompassing analysis of the Bank’s activities, this Companion examines the Bank’s interactions with its organizational environment, how it undertakes tasks and pursues its mandate in different policy areas, and how it has adapted to changing environments over time. Split into seven thematic parts, contributors guide the reader through over ten policy areas, including the environment, education, health, and gender and development, discussing the impact and progress made within those areas. Furthermore, they include insightful first-hand accounts of working in this complex organization and discuss prominent criticisms of the Bank, suggesting opportunities for future reform.
Providing key observations and insider perspectives, this Companion is an essential resource for scholars and researchers in the field of international relations as well as other disciplines, including development studies, organizational sociology, and international law.
Critical Acclaim
‘In this volume on the World Bank, Vetterlein and Schmidtke provide scholars of, and policymakers in, international organizations (IOs) a great service. The Editors have assembled a stellar cast of scholars, many known for their body of work on the World Bank, “new” researchers offering excellent analyses on a range of themes and issues, as well as a number of ex-World Bank staffers. The volume explores and documents both the inside and the outside of the World Bank, discussing how policies are developed, how norms are articulated, the role of the Bank in geopolitical and inter-organizational rivalries, and its relationship to capitalism. As a “companion”, this volume does more than a hand-holding walkthrough of the World Bank. Instead, it provides a startling amount of politically-charged detail on both its internal conversation and relationship to other global actors.’
– Leonard Seabrooke, Copenhagen Business School, Denmark
‘As the World Bank celebrates its 80th anniversary, this book is an indispensable resource for bank-watchers new and old. Drawing on a spectrum of contributions, including those from former insiders, it offers much-needed critical reflection across the Bank''s history, disciplinary anchors, and operational practices.’
– Elisa Van Waeyenberge, SOAS University of London, UK
‘Vetterlein and Schmidtke’s Companion features a diverse group of distinguished scholars and practitioners, who engage in a thought-provoking dialogue of organizational continuity and change at the World Bank. Presenting a meticulous examination of a rich set of theories, this book effectively guides readers through the complex terrain of institutional change, making it essential reading for academics, practitioners, and policymakers alike.’
– Axel Dreher, Heidelberg University, Germany
– Leonard Seabrooke, Copenhagen Business School, Denmark
‘As the World Bank celebrates its 80th anniversary, this book is an indispensable resource for bank-watchers new and old. Drawing on a spectrum of contributions, including those from former insiders, it offers much-needed critical reflection across the Bank''s history, disciplinary anchors, and operational practices.’
– Elisa Van Waeyenberge, SOAS University of London, UK
‘Vetterlein and Schmidtke’s Companion features a diverse group of distinguished scholars and practitioners, who engage in a thought-provoking dialogue of organizational continuity and change at the World Bank. Presenting a meticulous examination of a rich set of theories, this book effectively guides readers through the complex terrain of institutional change, making it essential reading for academics, practitioners, and policymakers alike.’
– Axel Dreher, Heidelberg University, Germany
Contents
Contents
Preface xx
List of abbreviations xxii
PART I INTRODUCTION TO THE COMPANION
1 The World Bank: a changing organization in a changing world 2
Antje Vetterlein and Tobias Schmidtke
PART II SETTING THE SCENE: WORLD BANK HISTORY AND
DISCIPLINARY PERSPECTIVES
2 History and histories of the World Bank 22
Michele Alacevich and Mirek Tobiáš Hošman
3 Locating the World Bank: the unmaking and remaking of Development
Economics in its shifting vision 38
Kate Bayliss and Ben Fine
4 The World Bank and Anthropology: conflict and cooperation 51
Robert K. Hitchcock
5 The World Bank and Legal Studies 62
Lorenzo Gasbarri
PART III RESEARCHING THE WORLD BANK IN INTERNATIONAL
RELATIONS
6 Rational choice: actors, preferences and power 74
Randall W. Stone
7 The World Bank Inspection Panel from an institutionalist perspective 85
Alexsandro Eugenio Pereira
8 Constructivism, norms, and the World Bank 96
Antje Vetterlein and Susan Park
9 The hypocrisy of the World Bank 107
Catherine E. Weaver
10 US ‘hegemony’ in the World Bank 118
Lisa Eitinger and Robert H. Wade
PART IV THE OUTSIDE PERSPECTIVE: WORLD BANK
RELATIONS TO ITS ORGANIZATIONAL ENVIRONMENT
11 Contested terrain: World Bank projects and participatory development 130
Jonathan Fox
12 Revitalizing the World Bank: engagement with the private sector and
scope expansion 143
Eugénia da Conceição-Heldt and Thomas Dörfler
13 China’s relations with the World Bank: between great power and
developing country 154
Marina Rudyak
14 Let’s be friends not foes: an assessment of the strategic co-evolution of
the World Bank and the AIIB in the face of institutional overlap 166
Giuseppe Zaccaria
15 Intricate interactions: the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund 178
Matthias Kranke
PART V THE IMPACT PERSPECTIVE: WORLD BANK POLICY AREAS
16 Environmental partnerships in the World Bank 191
Teresa Kramarz and Amalie Wilkinson
17 Just another brick in the wall? The changing legitimacy and centrality
of the World Bank in global education 204
Clara Fontdevila, Francine Menashy and Antoni Verger
18 The World Bank’s work in health: continuity and change 216
Shiri Noy
19 Gender and development in the World Bank: an evaluation of the
business case for equality 227
Kate Bedford
20 Dam building and the World Bank: the evolving battle over partial reform 239
Udisha Saklani and Barnaby Joseph Dye
21 Depoliticizing the countryside? The World Bank’s role in agriculture
and rural development 251
Tobias Schmidtke
22 Measuring corruption perceptions in Tunisia: Transparency
International, the Corruption Perception Index and the World Bank 263
Oana B. Albu and Jonathan Murphy
23 World development under monopoly capitalism 274
Benjamin Selwyn and Dara Leyden
24 Responsibility avoidance in the World Bank’s approach to end poverty 286
Antje Vetterlein
25 Ethics and human rights in the World Bank 298
Desmond McNeill
26 Knowledge matters in the World Bank: the KNETworking foundations
of development policy 309
Diane Stone
27 Housing and the World Bank: mortgaging development 321
Liam Clegg
PART VI THE INSIDE PERSPECTIVE: PRACTITIONERS’ VIEWS ON
THE WORLD BANK
28 The origins of community-driven development: Indonesia and the
Kecamatan Development Program 333
Scott Guggenheim
29 Citizen engagement: reflections on the operationalization of a World
Bank corporate commitment 345
Janelle Plummer
30 Reflections on World Bank engagement in governance and
anticorruption: insider and outsider perspectives 359
Vinay Bhargava
31 Quo Vadis? The World Bank’s role in promoting environmental
sustainability 372
Steven N. Schonberger
PART VII FUTURE PERSPECTIVES: THE WORLD BANK AND ITS
POTENTIAL FOR REFORM
32 The World Bank and its potential for reform: the human rights perspective 385
Galit A. Sarfaty
33 Invisible inequalities: how practices of classification affect outcomes in
the World Bank 396
Katja Freistein
34 The World Bank and shrinking civic space 407
Rachel Nadelman and Ricardo Vergel Negrón
35 Thinking and working apolitically 417
Graham Teskey
Index 429
Preface xx
List of abbreviations xxii
PART I INTRODUCTION TO THE COMPANION
1 The World Bank: a changing organization in a changing world 2
Antje Vetterlein and Tobias Schmidtke
PART II SETTING THE SCENE: WORLD BANK HISTORY AND
DISCIPLINARY PERSPECTIVES
2 History and histories of the World Bank 22
Michele Alacevich and Mirek Tobiáš Hošman
3 Locating the World Bank: the unmaking and remaking of Development
Economics in its shifting vision 38
Kate Bayliss and Ben Fine
4 The World Bank and Anthropology: conflict and cooperation 51
Robert K. Hitchcock
5 The World Bank and Legal Studies 62
Lorenzo Gasbarri
PART III RESEARCHING THE WORLD BANK IN INTERNATIONAL
RELATIONS
6 Rational choice: actors, preferences and power 74
Randall W. Stone
7 The World Bank Inspection Panel from an institutionalist perspective 85
Alexsandro Eugenio Pereira
8 Constructivism, norms, and the World Bank 96
Antje Vetterlein and Susan Park
9 The hypocrisy of the World Bank 107
Catherine E. Weaver
10 US ‘hegemony’ in the World Bank 118
Lisa Eitinger and Robert H. Wade
PART IV THE OUTSIDE PERSPECTIVE: WORLD BANK
RELATIONS TO ITS ORGANIZATIONAL ENVIRONMENT
11 Contested terrain: World Bank projects and participatory development 130
Jonathan Fox
12 Revitalizing the World Bank: engagement with the private sector and
scope expansion 143
Eugénia da Conceição-Heldt and Thomas Dörfler
13 China’s relations with the World Bank: between great power and
developing country 154
Marina Rudyak
14 Let’s be friends not foes: an assessment of the strategic co-evolution of
the World Bank and the AIIB in the face of institutional overlap 166
Giuseppe Zaccaria
15 Intricate interactions: the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund 178
Matthias Kranke
PART V THE IMPACT PERSPECTIVE: WORLD BANK POLICY AREAS
16 Environmental partnerships in the World Bank 191
Teresa Kramarz and Amalie Wilkinson
17 Just another brick in the wall? The changing legitimacy and centrality
of the World Bank in global education 204
Clara Fontdevila, Francine Menashy and Antoni Verger
18 The World Bank’s work in health: continuity and change 216
Shiri Noy
19 Gender and development in the World Bank: an evaluation of the
business case for equality 227
Kate Bedford
20 Dam building and the World Bank: the evolving battle over partial reform 239
Udisha Saklani and Barnaby Joseph Dye
21 Depoliticizing the countryside? The World Bank’s role in agriculture
and rural development 251
Tobias Schmidtke
22 Measuring corruption perceptions in Tunisia: Transparency
International, the Corruption Perception Index and the World Bank 263
Oana B. Albu and Jonathan Murphy
23 World development under monopoly capitalism 274
Benjamin Selwyn and Dara Leyden
24 Responsibility avoidance in the World Bank’s approach to end poverty 286
Antje Vetterlein
25 Ethics and human rights in the World Bank 298
Desmond McNeill
26 Knowledge matters in the World Bank: the KNETworking foundations
of development policy 309
Diane Stone
27 Housing and the World Bank: mortgaging development 321
Liam Clegg
PART VI THE INSIDE PERSPECTIVE: PRACTITIONERS’ VIEWS ON
THE WORLD BANK
28 The origins of community-driven development: Indonesia and the
Kecamatan Development Program 333
Scott Guggenheim
29 Citizen engagement: reflections on the operationalization of a World
Bank corporate commitment 345
Janelle Plummer
30 Reflections on World Bank engagement in governance and
anticorruption: insider and outsider perspectives 359
Vinay Bhargava
31 Quo Vadis? The World Bank’s role in promoting environmental
sustainability 372
Steven N. Schonberger
PART VII FUTURE PERSPECTIVES: THE WORLD BANK AND ITS
POTENTIAL FOR REFORM
32 The World Bank and its potential for reform: the human rights perspective 385
Galit A. Sarfaty
33 Invisible inequalities: how practices of classification affect outcomes in
the World Bank 396
Katja Freistein
34 The World Bank and shrinking civic space 407
Rachel Nadelman and Ricardo Vergel Negrón
35 Thinking and working apolitically 417
Graham Teskey
Index 429
