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<div class="gmail_quote">From: <b class="gmail_sendername"><a href="mailto:bala@haiap.org">bala@haiap.org</a></b> <span dir="ltr"><a href="mailto:bala@haiap.org">bala@haiap.org</a></span><br><br><br>
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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR: black">In April 2009, the G-20 pumped funds into key international financial institutions (IFI) such as the IMF and Bank to mitigate damaging effects of the global economic downturn on the most vulnerable developing countries.<span> </span>Estimates from international organizations, including the Bank, indicated the crisis was returning tens of millions of people back into abject poverty.<span> </span>The G-20’s decision and the impact of the crisis have heightened pressure on the Bank, both from a political and a humanitarian level to achieve results. It has also provided a new opportunity for critics of the Bank to call for reforms.</span></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR: black">For years, developing countries have wanted more say in Bank decisions.<span> </span>External watchdog groups have urged the Bank to reform its internal governance and information disclosure policies.<span> </span>One outcome of the global economic crisis has been to successfully pressure the Bank into implementing internal reviews for both areas.<span> </span>The results have been mixed.<span> </span>In July 2010, the Bank implemented a new “Access to Information” disclosure policy.<span> </span>The new policy has been praised by key external stakeholders as an important step forward, but these same actors also suggest the journey to make the Bank fully transparent is far from complete.<span> </span>During the 2010 spring meetings, the Bank officially gave more voice and vote power to developing countries but the change was incremental and the 50-50 split sought by many development think tanks and NGOs remains years away.<span> </span>Other reform initiatives have stagnated.</span></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR: black">These developments suggest change can happen.<span> </span>When it does it is usually the result of large forces pressuring available fault lines.<span> </span>However, when change does occur, it tends to be incremental, moving with sudden lurches and equally sudden periods of stillness.<span> </span>My experiences in the Bank suggested drivers of change were opaque.<span> </span>From my vantage point as an internal reformer, operating from within the organization offered opportunities not available to outsiders.<span> </span>On the other hand, it also imposed limitations.<span> </span>There were times when I came to believe true change must come from external forces.<span> </span>As it turns out, both suppositions may be wrong.<span> </span>Perhaps the will or efforts of internal or external reformers is not enough.<span> </span>Only some Teutonic shift of the world order can force the Bank or any IFI to reform.<span> </span>The lesson of the global financial crisis may be that it may take an international crisis of some magnitude to shift the Bank’s thinking about its internal governance and accountability mechanisms.</span></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR: black">I expand more fully on these observations at </span><span style="COLOR: black">The World Bank Unveiled blog at:</span></p>
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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="COLOR: black"><a href="http://theworldbankunveiled.wordpress.com/" target="_blank"><span><font color="#800080">http://theworldbankunveiled.wordpress.com/</font></span></a></span></b><span style="COLOR: black"></span></p>
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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR: black">This is the fifth of a series of blogs on the World Bank and transparency, accountability and reform issues.<b><span> </span>I invite you to share your own opinions </b></span><span style="COLOR: black">with a wide community of <span>international development practitioners</span> and interested readers. </span></p>
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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR: black">Sincerely,</span></p>
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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR: black">David Shaman</span></p>
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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">David Shaman worked at the World Bank for 12 years. He was the architect and manager of B-SPAN, the World Bank’s webcasting station for development. He is the author of <i>The World Bank Unveiled: Inside the <span>Revolutionary Struggle</span> for Transparency</i></span></b><span style="COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">. <b>For information about the book, please visit <a href="http://www.worldbankunveiled.com/" target="_blank"><span><span style="COLOR: purple">www.worldbankunveiled.com</span></span></a>.</b></span><span style="COLOR: black"></span></p>
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