Search results for "World Bank"

World Bank and the case for privatisation : development in Peru in the 1990s

2006

Tra conservazione e innovazione: la Banca Mondiale e la modificazione del concetto di sviluppo, 1946–1981

2004

Dopo la seconda guerra mondiale si è a lungo ritenuto che la crescita economica fosse uno strumento sufficiente a migliorare in un ragionevole lasso di tempo le condizioni di vita delle popolazioni dei paesi in via di sviluppo. La Banca Mondiale ha condiviso questo punto di vista, dedicandosi a investimenti di carattere direttamente produttivo o infrastrutturale. Alla fine degli anni Sessanta divenne però evidente che la crescita economica non coinvolgeva tutti gli strati delle popolazioni di un paese, spesso escludendo dal processo gli strati più poveri. La crescita economica non implicava necessariamente un adeguato sviluppo dei sistemi sociali e politici dei paesi interessati. La Banca M…

The World Bank’s Early Reflections on Development: A Development Institution or a Bank?

2009

Until the late 1960s, the World Bank presented itself as an institution devoted to making sound and directly productive project loans. Yet, during its very early years, some discussions developed inside the Bank regarding the possibility of issuing different types of loans, namely (i) loans aimed at tackling social issues ("social loans"), and (ii) loans aimed at providing foreigncurrency to address disequilibria in the balance of payments ("impact loans"). This paper brings together historical analysis and theories of organization development to study the housing issue as a case in point. The analysis reveals that the Bank was unwilling to lend for housing programs not because these were n…

: The Place of the State in Africa according to the World Bank : limits of a neo-liberal policy

2005

This contribution aims to analyse the change in discourse held by the World Bank concerning the reform of the State in Africa in the educational sphere. After inspection, it emerges that despite new discourses on the "fight against poverty", the World Bank's neo-liberal policy still grants the State a minor role in the design and execution of educational policies. One would have thought of an evolution from the strict structural adjustment policies towards a policy of social adjustment where fundamental assets concerning the social field would be taken into account. That is not the case : the fight against poverty policy maintains the course of adjustment policies, by preserving a minimal s…

La Place de l'Etat en Afrique selon la Banque mondiale : De l'ajustement structurel à l'ajustement social. Les limites d'une politique néo-libérale «…

2007

07003 - 17 p.; Les Documents de travail de l'IREDU 2007/3; Cette contribution a pour objectif d'analyser le changement de discours que porte la Banque mondiale sur la réforme de l'État en Afrique, et ce dans la sphère éducative. Après examen, il ressort que malgré les nouveaux discours de « lutte contre la pauvreté », la politique néo-libérale de la Banque mondiale accorde à l'État une place toujours aussi mineure dans la conception et l'exécution des politiques éducatives. On aurait pu croire à la réalité d'une évolution de la politique d'ajustement structurel stricte vers une politique d'ajustement social où des acquis fondamentaux seraient pris en compte concernant le domaine social. Il …

EARLY DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS DEBATES REVISITED

2007

Development economics in its early years created the image of a fierce fight between advocates of contrasting theories or approaches—“balanced growth” vs. “unbalanced growth,” or “program loans” vs. “project loans.” This view has the merit of highlighting such conflicts in great detail; yet, it fails to take into account the reality of development economics as it was practiced in the field. This paper reassesses these old conflicts by complementing the traditional focus on theoretical debates with an emphasis on the practice of development economics.A particularly interesting example is the debate between Albert Hirschman, one of the fathers of the “unbalanced growth” approach, and Lauchlin…

Les modèles de simulation pour la planification de l'éducation en Afrique subsaharienne. Une simplicité appauvrissante et inféconde

2014

More than elsewhere, the issues covering educational planning are important in sub-Saharan Africa. Simulation models are the main tool of this type of planning. Most were designed or inspired by the World Bank or UNESCO. Yet, these models are too simplistic. This simplicity is a choice, although it is badly argued. The resulting vagueness is totally unacceptable, although imperceptible due to the simplicity of the models, which are not testable by facts. The simulation models are thus a sham and African educational systems continue to suffer grave imbalance in the allocation of resources. The conception of quality models, designed with a genuine concern to guide action, is possible and urge…

Entrepreneurial choices depend on trust : Some global evidence

2022

Interpersonal trust and people’s trust in institutions are important components of social capital, which has been shown to have not only innate social value but also diverse direct and indirect positive social and economic impacts. Using data for an economically and globally diverse group of countries, we examine empirically how changes in interpersonal trust and trust in institutions affect entrepreneurship over time. Our findings suggest that (1) enhancing either type of trust leads to more entrepreneurial activity and (2) an increase in interpersonal trust causes a structural change in the composition of the TEA-type entrepreneurship. Increased trust reduces the share of relatively lower…

Il diritto di difesa degli staff member nei sistemi di giustizia interna dell'Organizzazione Internazionale del Lavoro, dell'Organizzazione delle Naz…

The Political Economy of the World Bank. The Early Years

2009

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 obser…