The World Bank: New Agendas in a Changing World

191 Pages·1999·0.74 MB·English

by  Michelle Miller-Adams

The World Bank

The World Bank is the key institution through which rich nations channel
resources to poorer ones. Established over fifty years ago in a radically
different international environment, the World Bank has constantly re-
invented itself in the intervening decades. What drives this evolution?
This book considers the nature of change at the World Bank, exploring both
the external impetus for change, and the impact of the Bank’s internal
organization and culture. The author’s findings are supported by detailed
case studies of three of the Bank’s most important new agendas: private
sector development, participation, and governance.
Michelle Miller-Adams finds that traditional international-relations based
approaches, which focus on states and power, are inadequate for explaining
institutional change at the World Bank. Attention must also be paid to the
Bank’s internal processes, especially the technical and apolitical norms that
form an intrinsic part of its identity. This identity, which dates from the
Bank’s earliest days, continues to shape its response to new demands and
affect its ability to meet the needs of a changing world.
Michelle Miller-Adams is a writer and editor of publications in the field of
international affairs, and teaches political science at Western Michigan
University. She holds a PhD and Master of International Affairs from Columbia
University. She has worked in New York as vice-president for programs at
the Twentieth Century Fund and as vice-president of research at Salomon
Brothers, where she wrote numerous reports about the World Bank.
Routledge Studies in Development Economics

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2 Monetary and Financial Policies in Developing Countries: Growth and stabilization
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3 New Directions in Development Economics: Growth, environmental concerns and
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4 Financial Liberalization and Investment
Kanhaya L.Gupta and Robert Lensink
5 Liberalization in the Developing World: Institutional and economic changes in Latin
America, Africa and Asia
Edited by Alex E.Fernández Jilberto and André Mommen
6 Financial Development and Economic Growth: Theory and experiences from
developing countries
Edited by Niels Hermes and Robert Lensink
7 The South African Economy: Macroeconomic prospects for the medium term
Finn Tarp and Peter Brixen
8 Public Sector Pay and Adjustment: Lessons from five countries
Edited by Christopher Colclough
9 Europe and Economic Reform in Africa: Structural adjustment and economic
diplomacy
Obed O.Mailafia
10 Post-apartheid Southern Africa: Economic challenges and policies for the future
Edited by Lennart Petersson
11 Financial Integration and Development: Liberalization and reform in Sub-Saharan
Africa
Ernest Aryeetey and Machiko Nissanke
12 Regionalization and Globalization in the Modern World Economy: Perspectives on
the Third World and transitional economies
Edited by Alex F.Fernández Jilberto and André Mommen
13 The African Economy: Policy, institutions and the future
Steve Kayizzi-Mugerwa
14 Recovery from Armed Conflict in Developing Countries
Edited by Geoff Harris
15 Small Enterprises and Economic Development: The dynamics of micro and small
enterprises
Carl Liedholm and Donald C.Mead
16 The World Bank: New agendas in a changing world
M ichelle Miller-Adams
The World Bank

New agendas in a changing world

Michelle Miller-Adams

London and New York
First published 1999 by Routledge
11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4B 4EE
Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge
29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2003.
© 1999 Michelle Miller-Adams
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical,
or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including
photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or
retrieval system, without permission in writing from the
publishers.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available
from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Miller-Adams, Michelle, 1959–
The World Bank: new agendas in a changing world/
Michelle Miller-Adams
192 pp. 156×234 cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index
1. World Bank. I. Title.
HG3881.5.W57M55 1999
332.1’532–dc21 96–42331
CIP

ISBN 0-203-45514-2 Master e-book ISBN

ISBN 0-203-76338-6 (Adobe eReader Format)
ISBN 0-415-19353-2 (Print Edition)
To Richard Adams, with love

Contents

List of figures ix
List of tables x
Preface xi
Abbreviations xiii
1 Introduction 1
2 Understanding the World Bank: a theoretical overview 9
States and power: international-relations-based approaches 9
Norms and beliefs: organization-theory-based approaches 13
The World Bank’s organizational culture 21
Conclusion 32
3 Approaching business: the private sector development
agenda 34
The origins of private sector development 37
Assessing the importance of private sector development 49
Conclusion 65
Timeline of private-sector-related developments 67
4 Approaching civil society: the participation agenda 69
The origins of participation 71
Assessing the importance of participation 82
Conclusion 96
Timeline of participation-related developments 98
5 Approaching politics: the governance agenda 100
The origins of governance 104
Assessing the importance of the governance agenda 114
Conclusion 131
Timeline of governance-related developments 132
vii
viii Contents
6 Effecting change: the challenge of organizational
transformation 134
New agendas, old rules 134
Patterns of change 139
Strategies for change 141
The prospects for organizational transformation 147
Notes 150
Bibliography 160
Index 170
Figures

2.1 The World Bank’s task environment 14
3.1 Growth of IFC 56
3.2 Private sector loans, IBRD 56
3.3 World Bank and IFC programs 57
3.4 IBRD lending 65
3.5 IDA operations 65
4.1 NGO-World Bank collaboration 85
4.2 NGO role in project design 85
5.1 Public sector management operations 118
5.2 Public sector management, regional trends 119
5.3 Public sector management, regional distribution 119

ix