| Titre : | The political economy of the World Bank : the early years |
| Auteurs : | Michele Alacevich, Auteur |
| Type de document : | Ouvrages |
| Editeur : | Washington : World Bank, 2009 |
| ISBN/ISSN/EAN : | 978-0-8213-7647-8 |
| Format : | 1 vol. (XVI-197 p.) / ill. / 23 cm |
| Note générale : | Bibliogr. p. 185-193 |
| Langues: | Anglais |
| Langues originales: | Italien |
| Catégories : |
[Eurovoc] ÉCONOMIE [Eurovoc] ÉCONOMIE > situation économique > développement économique [Eurovoc] ORGANISATIONS INTERNATIONALES > Nations unies > institution spécialisée de l'ONU > Banque mondiale |
| Tags : | economic history ; political economy ; economic theory |
| Résumé : |
This book covers the early years of the International Bank of Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), commonly known as the World Bank when it first confronted the issue of development as a fundamental part of its mission. The book is mainly concerned with how the Bank interpreted its mission and, more specifically, how its mission was born: what events shaped it, what cultural and ideological background influenced it and what was the historical context in which it arose. So this book is a contribution to the study of the prehistory of development, understood in its social and economic context. In this respect, the study of the early years of the World Bank offers excellent context for observation for three reasons. First, during its history there is a clear separation between the growth phase and the phase of social objectives. Second, in the first years of activity already the Bank could hear murmurs of opposition. Finally, there was a sudden change in the mandate of the institution changed from supporting the reconstruction of Europe after the war, to help developing countries. The transition from one phase to another was a formative one and redefined the institution. The upshot of the foregoing was to set a fertile ground for exploring the signs of conflict between the different approaches to development. The first chapter deals with the historiography that underlies the writing. It refers to a wide literature using periods of transition or crisis in the history of the institution to understand its dynamics and mechanisms. Reducing its support for European reconstruction, the Bank focused on the development of countries. The internal tensions that arose and led to a complete break between the Bank and the director of the mission (the economist Lauchlin Currie) are very useful for understanding better the evolution of the institution. The third chapter explores the tensions between Currie and the Bank and particularly, between Currie and the economist Albert Hirschman, who the Bank replaced as envoy to Colombia. The final chapter focuses again on the International Bank and particularly in lending mechanisms for developing countries. |
| Note de contenu : |
This book is a fascinating study of economic history and history of economic thought. It narrates the history of the World Bank and the establishment of its role as leading development institution. The end of WWII was a crucial time: the reconstruction of Europe and the birth of the "third world" following decolonization, with the Cold War as a background, created a new need for development interventions and policies. The World Bank took over this challenging mission.The lesson that can be drawn from this book is that the World Bank and the developing countries as they are today are the result of their history - a history of constant transformation and adjustment to the ever-changing challenges of development. History shows paths of development, and as such it should not be ignored by today's policymakers. |
Exemplaires (1)
| Code-barres | Cote | Support | Localisation | Section | Disponibilité |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 005843 | AB 231 | Livre | Centre de documentation du CERDI / Ecole d'Economie | Salle de lecture | Disponible |
Documents numériques (2)
 L'economie politique de la Banque Mondiale : les premieres années URL | The political economy of the World Bank : the early years URL |
