Devi Sridhar
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199549962
- eISBN:
- 9780191720499
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199549962.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics, Political Economy
We live in an increasingly prosperous world, yet the estimated number of undernourished people has risen, and will continue to rise with the doubling of food prices. A large majority of those ...
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We live in an increasingly prosperous world, yet the estimated number of undernourished people has risen, and will continue to rise with the doubling of food prices. A large majority of those affected are living in India. Why have strategies to combat hunger, especially in India, failed so badly? How did a nation that prides itself on booming economic growth come to have half of its preschool population undernourished? Using the case study of a World Bank nutrition project in India, this book takes on these questions and probes the issues surrounding development assistance, strategies to eliminate undernutrition, and how hunger should be fundamentally understood and addressed. Throughout the book, the underlying tension between choice and circumstance is explored. How much are individuals able to determine their life choices? How much should policy-makers take underlying social forces into account when designing policy? This book examines the possibilities and obstacles to eliminating child hunger. This book is not just about nutrition, it is an attempt to uncover the workings of power through a close look at the structures, discourses, and agencies through which nutrition policy operates. In this process, the source of nutrition policy in the World Bank is traced to those affected by the policies in India.Less
We live in an increasingly prosperous world, yet the estimated number of undernourished people has risen, and will continue to rise with the doubling of food prices. A large majority of those affected are living in India. Why have strategies to combat hunger, especially in India, failed so badly? How did a nation that prides itself on booming economic growth come to have half of its preschool population undernourished? Using the case study of a World Bank nutrition project in India, this book takes on these questions and probes the issues surrounding development assistance, strategies to eliminate undernutrition, and how hunger should be fundamentally understood and addressed. Throughout the book, the underlying tension between choice and circumstance is explored. How much are individuals able to determine their life choices? How much should policy-makers take underlying social forces into account when designing policy? This book examines the possibilities and obstacles to eliminating child hunger. This book is not just about nutrition, it is an attempt to uncover the workings of power through a close look at the structures, discourses, and agencies through which nutrition policy operates. In this process, the source of nutrition policy in the World Bank is traced to those affected by the policies in India.
Jonathan Fox
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199208852
- eISBN:
- 9780191709005
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199208852.003.0006
- Subject:
- Political Science, Democratization
This chapter continues the emphasis on cross-regional comparison, addressing the role of both transnational and national actors by focusing on World Bank-funded rural development projects. The ...
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This chapter continues the emphasis on cross-regional comparison, addressing the role of both transnational and national actors by focusing on World Bank-funded rural development projects. The question is to what degree the World Bank's ostensibly new-style projects actually contributed to the ‘enabling environment’ that allow poor people to consolidate representative organizations. The term ‘enabling environments’ refers to the institutional context that either facilitates or blocks the collective action that is critical to providing leverage and voice to under-represented people. The study documents whether or not enabling environments were in fact created by assessing the degree to which the projects complied with the World Bank's own policy reforms involving public information disclosure and informed participation by indigenous peoples. The study documents outcomes, both across projects and across regions within projects. With few exceptions, the projects did not significantly improve the enabling policy environment for the organizations of the rural poor.Less
This chapter continues the emphasis on cross-regional comparison, addressing the role of both transnational and national actors by focusing on World Bank-funded rural development projects. The question is to what degree the World Bank's ostensibly new-style projects actually contributed to the ‘enabling environment’ that allow poor people to consolidate representative organizations. The term ‘enabling environments’ refers to the institutional context that either facilitates or blocks the collective action that is critical to providing leverage and voice to under-represented people. The study documents whether or not enabling environments were in fact created by assessing the degree to which the projects complied with the World Bank's own policy reforms involving public information disclosure and informed participation by indigenous peoples. The study documents outcomes, both across projects and across regions within projects. With few exceptions, the projects did not significantly improve the enabling policy environment for the organizations of the rural poor.
Ngaire Woods
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199261437
- eISBN:
- 9780191599309
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199261431.003.0005
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics
Examines the role of the US in international financial institutions with particular reference to the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Describes the extraordinary influence of the ...
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Examines the role of the US in international financial institutions with particular reference to the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Describes the extraordinary influence of the US on these institutions as a function of both formal means (e.g., US financial contributions) and informal practices and conventions that have developed over time, with the informal mechanisms of influence often being more important than the formal ones. However, it is also argued that, notwithstanding the weight of US influence, it would be inaccurate to consider the World Bank and the IMF as mere instruments of US power and policy, and that their remaining credibility and legitimacy rest in part on their ability to create some political distance between themselves and their most powerful state patron. US domestic political conditions are also important. Within the country, the division of authority between Executive and Congress sometimes enhances and at other times constrains US influence; the effective exercise of US power also requires interlocutors in host governments who share the technical mind‐set and ideological predispositions of the US and international financial institutions. The different sections of the chapter: analyse the formal and informal structures of power in the World Bank and IMF; look at the US in relation to the financing, lending decisions, staffing and management of these institutions; and discuss formal power structures and informal exercises of influence.Less
Examines the role of the US in international financial institutions with particular reference to the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Describes the extraordinary influence of the US on these institutions as a function of both formal means (e.g., US financial contributions) and informal practices and conventions that have developed over time, with the informal mechanisms of influence often being more important than the formal ones. However, it is also argued that, notwithstanding the weight of US influence, it would be inaccurate to consider the World Bank and the IMF as mere instruments of US power and policy, and that their remaining credibility and legitimacy rest in part on their ability to create some political distance between themselves and their most powerful state patron. US domestic political conditions are also important. Within the country, the division of authority between Executive and Congress sometimes enhances and at other times constrains US influence; the effective exercise of US power also requires interlocutors in host governments who share the technical mind‐set and ideological predispositions of the US and international financial institutions. The different sections of the chapter: analyse the formal and informal structures of power in the World Bank and IMF; look at the US in relation to the financing, lending decisions, staffing and management of these institutions; and discuss formal power structures and informal exercises of influence.
Ngaire Woods
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199251209
- eISBN:
- 9780191599293
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199251207.003.0004
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics
Woods's chapter focuses primarily on procedural justice within the international financial institutions. She argues that the procedures adopted by these institutions are central to the debate about ...
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Woods's chapter focuses primarily on procedural justice within the international financial institutions. She argues that the procedures adopted by these institutions are central to the debate about global economic justice, and thus it is essential to explore how these bodies make decisions and implement them. Her conclusions suggest that, notwithstanding recent and important reforms, the institutions still suffer from weaknesses in representation and accountability. Unless these bodies attend to these deficiencies, the range and scope of their activities should be circumscribed.Less
Woods's chapter focuses primarily on procedural justice within the international financial institutions. She argues that the procedures adopted by these institutions are central to the debate about global economic justice, and thus it is essential to explore how these bodies make decisions and implement them. Her conclusions suggest that, notwithstanding recent and important reforms, the institutions still suffer from weaknesses in representation and accountability. Unless these bodies attend to these deficiencies, the range and scope of their activities should be circumscribed.
Devi Sridhar
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199549962
- eISBN:
- 9780191720499
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199549962.003.0004
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics, Political Economy
This chapter describes how hunger is addressed by the Bank nutrition team. It examines the interlacing of economic ideology and politics in World Bank nutrition policy through focusing on the periods ...
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This chapter describes how hunger is addressed by the Bank nutrition team. It examines the interlacing of economic ideology and politics in World Bank nutrition policy through focusing on the periods 1971-1980, 1980-1993, and 1993-2006. It concludes that undernutrition is constructed as a matter of choice for households.Less
This chapter describes how hunger is addressed by the Bank nutrition team. It examines the interlacing of economic ideology and politics in World Bank nutrition policy through focusing on the periods 1971-1980, 1980-1993, and 1993-2006. It concludes that undernutrition is constructed as a matter of choice for households.
David Roodman
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- May 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780195168006
- eISBN:
- 9780199783458
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195168003.003.0002
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
This chapter presents an overview of the sovereign-debt initiatives from the last twenty-five years. It examines the programs devised by creditors, namely the World Bank and IMF, during the 1980s and ...
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This chapter presents an overview of the sovereign-debt initiatives from the last twenty-five years. It examines the programs devised by creditors, namely the World Bank and IMF, during the 1980s and 1990s, that aimed at addressing the mounting problem of developing-country debt. The “austerity” lending of the 1980s and the structural adjustment programs of the 1990s are discussed, and the inherent failings that characterized those efforts, including reduced public investment which has led to economic stagnation, are criticized.Less
This chapter presents an overview of the sovereign-debt initiatives from the last twenty-five years. It examines the programs devised by creditors, namely the World Bank and IMF, during the 1980s and 1990s, that aimed at addressing the mounting problem of developing-country debt. The “austerity” lending of the 1980s and the structural adjustment programs of the 1990s are discussed, and the inherent failings that characterized those efforts, including reduced public investment which has led to economic stagnation, are criticized.
Devi Sridhar
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199549962
- eISBN:
- 9780191720499
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199549962.003.0006
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics, Political Economy
This chapter explores the wider implications of the analysis of choice and circumstance to hunger reduction strategies. It first outlines the two viewpoints that are currently being used to design ...
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This chapter explores the wider implications of the analysis of choice and circumstance to hunger reduction strategies. It first outlines the two viewpoints that are currently being used to design nutrition interventions. It then examines the rationale behind growth monitoring and promotion, the cornerstone of community nutrition schemes, as well as issues of its implementation in three areas: as a communication tool, as an educational strategy, and as a screening device. The second half of the chapter examines possible alternatives by discussing different strategies to reduce rates of undernutrition such as economic growth, improved infrastructure, and conditional cash transfer schemes. Given alternatives to the TINP model, the question is why the approach to nutrition by the Bank goes unchanged. The chapter concludes by discussing the institutional drivers within the Bank at disciplinary, institutional, and personal levels that nutrition advocates face that limit their ability to pursue new strategies.Less
This chapter explores the wider implications of the analysis of choice and circumstance to hunger reduction strategies. It first outlines the two viewpoints that are currently being used to design nutrition interventions. It then examines the rationale behind growth monitoring and promotion, the cornerstone of community nutrition schemes, as well as issues of its implementation in three areas: as a communication tool, as an educational strategy, and as a screening device. The second half of the chapter examines possible alternatives by discussing different strategies to reduce rates of undernutrition such as economic growth, improved infrastructure, and conditional cash transfer schemes. Given alternatives to the TINP model, the question is why the approach to nutrition by the Bank goes unchanged. The chapter concludes by discussing the institutional drivers within the Bank at disciplinary, institutional, and personal levels that nutrition advocates face that limit their ability to pursue new strategies.
RUMU SARKAR
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195398281
- eISBN:
- 9780199866366
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195398281.003.002
- Subject:
- Law, Human Rights and Immigration, Public International Law
This chapter discusses the new substantive principles of international development law with specific reference to: (1) parties (and the rights and privileges of different parties to the development ...
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This chapter discusses the new substantive principles of international development law with specific reference to: (1) parties (and the rights and privileges of different parties to the development process); (2) fundamental law principles of mutuality, the duty to cooperate, equitable participation in development, and transparency; (3) establishing legal norms (contextual and absolute); (4) a taxonomy of international development law (absolute norms, globalized laws, and relative norms); and (5) the institutional framework for international development is discussed in terms of enforcing legal norms. The chapter provides a new, researched template of analysis in which to structure the legal study of international development It sets forth the merits of establishing a World Bank Capital Transfer Appellate Board. The chapter proposes that capital transfers (as part of the development process) be subject to an adjudicatory process of review, thereby creating a new substantive body of public international law.Less
This chapter discusses the new substantive principles of international development law with specific reference to: (1) parties (and the rights and privileges of different parties to the development process); (2) fundamental law principles of mutuality, the duty to cooperate, equitable participation in development, and transparency; (3) establishing legal norms (contextual and absolute); (4) a taxonomy of international development law (absolute norms, globalized laws, and relative norms); and (5) the institutional framework for international development is discussed in terms of enforcing legal norms. The chapter provides a new, researched template of analysis in which to structure the legal study of international development It sets forth the merits of establishing a World Bank Capital Transfer Appellate Board. The chapter proposes that capital transfers (as part of the development process) be subject to an adjudicatory process of review, thereby creating a new substantive body of public international law.
Devi Sridhar
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199573547
- eISBN:
- 9780191722677
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199573547.003.0007
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Public Management, Organization Studies
The estimated number of undernourished people around the world has increased to nearly 923 million and is projected to rise with increasing food prices. A large majority of those affected live in ...
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The estimated number of undernourished people around the world has increased to nearly 923 million and is projected to rise with increasing food prices. A large majority of those affected live in India. This chapter examines one of the key efforts to address undernutrition in a targeted and rational manner in India. The resulting project, the Tamil Nadu Integrated Nutrition Project (TINP) was rational in that it was based on a combination of two Western-based scientific and modern disciplines, namely biomedical and health economic models. TINP was funded by the World Bank and has often been referred to as one of the most ‘successful’ nutrition projects in the general nutrition literature, so the way it was designed and implemented is of particular interest. It is argued that there is a mismatch between how malnutrition is defined, measured, and evaluated by the World Bank, and how it is lived and experienced in affected communities. While the biomedical approach to undernutrition might be suitable in the setting of a clinic, it is problematic when exported to stand-alone community nutrition projects such as TINP.Less
The estimated number of undernourished people around the world has increased to nearly 923 million and is projected to rise with increasing food prices. A large majority of those affected live in India. This chapter examines one of the key efforts to address undernutrition in a targeted and rational manner in India. The resulting project, the Tamil Nadu Integrated Nutrition Project (TINP) was rational in that it was based on a combination of two Western-based scientific and modern disciplines, namely biomedical and health economic models. TINP was funded by the World Bank and has often been referred to as one of the most ‘successful’ nutrition projects in the general nutrition literature, so the way it was designed and implemented is of particular interest. It is argued that there is a mismatch between how malnutrition is defined, measured, and evaluated by the World Bank, and how it is lived and experienced in affected communities. While the biomedical approach to undernutrition might be suitable in the setting of a clinic, it is problematic when exported to stand-alone community nutrition projects such as TINP.
Stephen J. Kay and Tapen Sinha (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199226801
- eISBN:
- 9780191710285
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199226801.001.0001
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Pensions and Pension Management
Latin American experiments with pension reform began when Chile converted its public pay-as-you-go system to a system of private individual accounts in the early 1980s. Several other Latin American ...
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Latin American experiments with pension reform began when Chile converted its public pay-as-you-go system to a system of private individual accounts in the early 1980s. Several other Latin American countries then followed suit, inspired both by Chile's reforms and by World Bank recommendations stressing compulsory government-mandated individual saving accounts. Individual accounts were subsequently introduced in a number of countries in Europe and Asia. Many are now re-evaluating these privatizations in an effort to ‘reform the reform’ to make these systems more efficient and equitable. This book assesses pension reforms in this new ‘post-privatization’ era. After a discussion on demographic trends in the foreword by Nobel laureate Robert W. Fogel, Section 1 of the book includes chapters on the role of pension system default options, the impact of gender, and a discussion of the World Bank's policies on pension reform. The chapter on the evidence from Chile's new social protection survey points to key lessons from the world's first privatization. Section 2 offers analysis of several significant reform initiatives in the hemisphere, and includes chapters on the United States, Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, Brazil, Peru, Uruguay, and Argentina.Less
Latin American experiments with pension reform began when Chile converted its public pay-as-you-go system to a system of private individual accounts in the early 1980s. Several other Latin American countries then followed suit, inspired both by Chile's reforms and by World Bank recommendations stressing compulsory government-mandated individual saving accounts. Individual accounts were subsequently introduced in a number of countries in Europe and Asia. Many are now re-evaluating these privatizations in an effort to ‘reform the reform’ to make these systems more efficient and equitable. This book assesses pension reforms in this new ‘post-privatization’ era. After a discussion on demographic trends in the foreword by Nobel laureate Robert W. Fogel, Section 1 of the book includes chapters on the role of pension system default options, the impact of gender, and a discussion of the World Bank's policies on pension reform. The chapter on the evidence from Chile's new social protection survey points to key lessons from the world's first privatization. Section 2 offers analysis of several significant reform initiatives in the hemisphere, and includes chapters on the United States, Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, Brazil, Peru, Uruguay, and Argentina.
Paul Mosley
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199692125
- eISBN:
- 9780191739286
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199692125.003.0007
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental, Macro- and Monetary Economics
Especially in poorer countries and regions, international financial institutions (multilateral, bilateral, and increasingly international NGOs) have been important in financing the implementation of ...
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Especially in poorer countries and regions, international financial institutions (multilateral, bilateral, and increasingly international NGOs) have been important in financing the implementation of the pro-poor ideas, policies, and structures described in previous chapters. They have attempted to make their aid more effective – and since the 1990s more pro-poor – by attaching policy conditions to their aid, which is achieved through a combination of liberalization, good governance, and commitment to poverty reduction. This idea forms the basis of the Washington institutions’ Poverty Reduction Strategy documents. However, as this chapter shows, what really matters in practice is not adherence to formal conditionality but trust between international financial institutions and recipients; and this is determined more by personal relationships than by technical performance criteria. In spite of this personalization of the aid relationship, this chapter finds that aid does influence policy (for example, the level of the PPE and PPI indices developed in Chapters 5 and 6) and thereby, in the poorer countries, plays a significant part in reducing poverty. Indonesia, Ghana, Uganda, and Bolivia, and outside the study’s sample also Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and India, would have had totally different poverty trajectories in the absence of support from the international financial institutions.Less
Especially in poorer countries and regions, international financial institutions (multilateral, bilateral, and increasingly international NGOs) have been important in financing the implementation of the pro-poor ideas, policies, and structures described in previous chapters. They have attempted to make their aid more effective – and since the 1990s more pro-poor – by attaching policy conditions to their aid, which is achieved through a combination of liberalization, good governance, and commitment to poverty reduction. This idea forms the basis of the Washington institutions’ Poverty Reduction Strategy documents. However, as this chapter shows, what really matters in practice is not adherence to formal conditionality but trust between international financial institutions and recipients; and this is determined more by personal relationships than by technical performance criteria. In spite of this personalization of the aid relationship, this chapter finds that aid does influence policy (for example, the level of the PPE and PPI indices developed in Chapters 5 and 6) and thereby, in the poorer countries, plays a significant part in reducing poverty. Indonesia, Ghana, Uganda, and Bolivia, and outside the study’s sample also Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and India, would have had totally different poverty trajectories in the absence of support from the international financial institutions.
Estelle James, Truman Packard, and Robert Holzmann
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199226801
- eISBN:
- 9780191710285
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199226801.003.0007
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Pensions and Pension Management
This chapter begins by presenting Estelle James' points of discussion if she were to cowrite a sequel to Averting the Old Age Crisis. Truman Packard then summarizes some of the issues raised in ...
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This chapter begins by presenting Estelle James' points of discussion if she were to cowrite a sequel to Averting the Old Age Crisis. Truman Packard then summarizes some of the issues raised in Keeping the Promise of Social Security in Latin America and highlights the most important points for pension policymakers. In particular, this chapter addresses the issues of low coverage and the expected outcome of pension reforms. The World Bank's framework for pension systems and reform is discussed.Less
This chapter begins by presenting Estelle James' points of discussion if she were to cowrite a sequel to Averting the Old Age Crisis. Truman Packard then summarizes some of the issues raised in Keeping the Promise of Social Security in Latin America and highlights the most important points for pension policymakers. In particular, this chapter addresses the issues of low coverage and the expected outcome of pension reforms. The World Bank's framework for pension systems and reform is discussed.
Kern Alexander, Rahul Dhumale, and John Eatwell
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195166989
- eISBN:
- 9780199783861
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195166989.003.0005
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Financial Economics
This chapter assesses the current international legal framework that governs international monetary and financial relations. The international economic organizations with responsibility in these ...
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This chapter assesses the current international legal framework that governs international monetary and financial relations. The international economic organizations with responsibility in these areas are the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank), and the World Trade Organization (WTO). The chapter also examines the two major regional trade agreements that govern cross-border trade in financial services and capital flows: the European Community's treaty regime and legislative framework and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).Less
This chapter assesses the current international legal framework that governs international monetary and financial relations. The international economic organizations with responsibility in these areas are the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank), and the World Trade Organization (WTO). The chapter also examines the two major regional trade agreements that govern cross-border trade in financial services and capital flows: the European Community's treaty regime and legislative framework and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
Susan Park
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- July 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780719079474
- eISBN:
- 9781781703335
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9780719079474.003.0003
- Subject:
- Political Science, Environmental Politics
This chapter analyses the ‘World Bank’ comprised of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA). It traces how transnational ...
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This chapter analyses the ‘World Bank’ comprised of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA). It traces how transnational environmental advocacy networks (TEANs) used campaigns to oppose the Bank's operations in order to prevent or mitigate the negative environmental impacts of Bank-backed projects and provides a history of the first high profile cases of Polonoroeste in Brazil and Narmada in India where TEANs first challenged the WBG. This chapter also assesses how the networks pressured for institutional mechanisms to ensure greater environmental accountability and adherence to strengthened safeguards and examines the ongoing process of identity change within the World Bank and its affiliates.Less
This chapter analyses the ‘World Bank’ comprised of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA). It traces how transnational environmental advocacy networks (TEANs) used campaigns to oppose the Bank's operations in order to prevent or mitigate the negative environmental impacts of Bank-backed projects and provides a history of the first high profile cases of Polonoroeste in Brazil and Narmada in India where TEANs first challenged the WBG. This chapter also assesses how the networks pressured for institutional mechanisms to ensure greater environmental accountability and adherence to strengthened safeguards and examines the ongoing process of identity change within the World Bank and its affiliates.
Kathryn C. Lavelle
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199765348
- eISBN:
- 9780199918959
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199765348.003.0005
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics
This chapter investigates the debt stage in the relationship between Congress and the IMF and World Bank that was triggered by the external shocks of the 1982 Mexican default, subsequent Latin ...
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This chapter investigates the debt stage in the relationship between Congress and the IMF and World Bank that was triggered by the external shocks of the 1982 Mexican default, subsequent Latin American debt crisis, and the end of the Cold War. The chief endogenous change was the increasing use of omnibus legislation in the period of divided government that followed the election of Ronald Reagan. The chapter argues that omnibus bills were effective vehicles for issues related to the IMF and World Bank. Through them, party leaders could secure funding for the IMF and World Bank, yet prevent individual members from having to take a public stand on an individual measure. However, by the end of the stage, the same external changes altered domestic constituencies of support. As the banking industry recovered from the debt crisis and other forms of credit appeared, the money-center banks directed a smaller percentage of transnational capital flows. Congressional advocacy efforts on behalf of environmental activists were directed at the World Bank’s activities. Use of legislative procedure allowed members of Congress to advocate for policy change on issues such as African development, the “Pelosi Amendment,” and the World Bank inspection panel.Less
This chapter investigates the debt stage in the relationship between Congress and the IMF and World Bank that was triggered by the external shocks of the 1982 Mexican default, subsequent Latin American debt crisis, and the end of the Cold War. The chief endogenous change was the increasing use of omnibus legislation in the period of divided government that followed the election of Ronald Reagan. The chapter argues that omnibus bills were effective vehicles for issues related to the IMF and World Bank. Through them, party leaders could secure funding for the IMF and World Bank, yet prevent individual members from having to take a public stand on an individual measure. However, by the end of the stage, the same external changes altered domestic constituencies of support. As the banking industry recovered from the debt crisis and other forms of credit appeared, the money-center banks directed a smaller percentage of transnational capital flows. Congressional advocacy efforts on behalf of environmental activists were directed at the World Bank’s activities. Use of legislative procedure allowed members of Congress to advocate for policy change on issues such as African development, the “Pelosi Amendment,” and the World Bank inspection panel.
Robert L. Hicks, Bradley C. Parks, J. Timmons Roberts, and Michael J. Tierney
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199213948
- eISBN:
- 9780191707476
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199213948.003.0007
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
This chapter shows how multilateral agencies provided developing countries with more than $75 billion in environmental aid between 1980 and 2000. It presents descriptive statistics on environmental ...
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This chapter shows how multilateral agencies provided developing countries with more than $75 billion in environmental aid between 1980 and 2000. It presents descriptive statistics on environmental aid funds that are allocated by multilateral agencies. It specifies which of these International Organizations (IOs) deliver the most money, and which governments give the most to these organizations. It then presents brief case studies of four multilateral agencies which are major distributors of environmental aid: the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the Global Environmental Facility, and the OPEC Fund for International Development. It focuses on the struggle between the World Bank and the US Congress over environmental impacts of its funding, since these were some of the most influential battles in the ‘greening’ of the multilaterals.Less
This chapter shows how multilateral agencies provided developing countries with more than $75 billion in environmental aid between 1980 and 2000. It presents descriptive statistics on environmental aid funds that are allocated by multilateral agencies. It specifies which of these International Organizations (IOs) deliver the most money, and which governments give the most to these organizations. It then presents brief case studies of four multilateral agencies which are major distributors of environmental aid: the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the Global Environmental Facility, and the OPEC Fund for International Development. It focuses on the struggle between the World Bank and the US Congress over environmental impacts of its funding, since these were some of the most influential battles in the ‘greening’ of the multilaterals.
Kathryn C. Lavelle
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199765348
- eISBN:
- 9780199918959
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199765348.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics
Conventional understandings of U.S. foreign policy see Congress as an obstacle to multilateral cooperation. Kathryn Lavelle challenges the traditional view by considering Congress within the three ...
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Conventional understandings of U.S. foreign policy see Congress as an obstacle to multilateral cooperation. Kathryn Lavelle challenges the traditional view by considering Congress within the three branches of American government, as well as within networks of global politics. Using the notion of “Congressional advocacy” to refer to the process wherein American legislators use the institutional mechanisms of Congress to influence public policy and resource allocation decisions in international organizations, Legislating International Organization shows how members of Congress attach policy prescriptions to legislation to build support for measures related to the IMF and World Bank. It demonstrates that despite delays and unwelcome demands, Congress has always provided requisite funding. Each chapter asks how this result has been possible in the face of considerable apathy and opposition? Based on direct experience, observations, interviews, and extensive archival research, the book argues that in each historical stage, exogenous changes in the international political economy combined with endogenous procedural change in the legislature to create and erode constituencies for the work of the IMF and World Bank. As a result of the Cold War, financial crises, and related developments in international lending, the efforts of members of Congress and interest groups have gradually intermingled with that of transnational groups. The relationship between Congress and the IMF and World Bank is particularly important today where the collapse of the traditional constituencies in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis poses a serious challenge to the future of multilateralism in American politics.Less
Conventional understandings of U.S. foreign policy see Congress as an obstacle to multilateral cooperation. Kathryn Lavelle challenges the traditional view by considering Congress within the three branches of American government, as well as within networks of global politics. Using the notion of “Congressional advocacy” to refer to the process wherein American legislators use the institutional mechanisms of Congress to influence public policy and resource allocation decisions in international organizations, Legislating International Organization shows how members of Congress attach policy prescriptions to legislation to build support for measures related to the IMF and World Bank. It demonstrates that despite delays and unwelcome demands, Congress has always provided requisite funding. Each chapter asks how this result has been possible in the face of considerable apathy and opposition? Based on direct experience, observations, interviews, and extensive archival research, the book argues that in each historical stage, exogenous changes in the international political economy combined with endogenous procedural change in the legislature to create and erode constituencies for the work of the IMF and World Bank. As a result of the Cold War, financial crises, and related developments in international lending, the efforts of members of Congress and interest groups have gradually intermingled with that of transnational groups. The relationship between Congress and the IMF and World Bank is particularly important today where the collapse of the traditional constituencies in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis poses a serious challenge to the future of multilateralism in American politics.
Stephen J. Kay and Tapen Sinha
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199226801
- eISBN:
- 9780191710285
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199226801.003.0002
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Pensions and Pension Management
This chapter begins with a brief discussion of the introduction of a state-sponsored pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) pension system in Germany over a century ago, and pension reform in Latin American ...
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This chapter begins with a brief discussion of the introduction of a state-sponsored pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) pension system in Germany over a century ago, and pension reform in Latin American countries. It then considers the shift in the process of pension reform in organizations such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, and countries such as Chile, beginning in 2004. An overview of the succeeding chapters is presented.Less
This chapter begins with a brief discussion of the introduction of a state-sponsored pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) pension system in Germany over a century ago, and pension reform in Latin American countries. It then considers the shift in the process of pension reform in organizations such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, and countries such as Chile, beginning in 2004. An overview of the succeeding chapters is presented.
Frank J Garcia
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195383614
- eISBN:
- 9780199855445
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195383614.003.0018
- Subject:
- Law, Public International Law
The Bretton Woods Institutions and the WTO are the preeminent international institutions devoted to managing international economic relations. This mandate puts them squarely in the center of the ...
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The Bretton Woods Institutions and the WTO are the preeminent international institutions devoted to managing international economic relations. This mandate puts them squarely in the center of the debate concerning development, inequality, and global justice. While the normative analysis of the WTO is gaining momentum, the systematic normative evaluation of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund is comparatively less developed. This chapter contributes to that nascent inquiry. How might global justice criteria apply to the ideology and operations of the Bank and Fund? Political theory offers an abundance of perspectives from which to conduct such an analysis; this chapter focuses on Rawls's theory of justice as fairness adapted to international institutions by the author in connection with the WTO and extend it to the remaining “legs” of the Bretton Woods “stool”. It asks what difference it would make for the Bank and Fund if an explicit global justice framework informed their international lending activities.Less
The Bretton Woods Institutions and the WTO are the preeminent international institutions devoted to managing international economic relations. This mandate puts them squarely in the center of the debate concerning development, inequality, and global justice. While the normative analysis of the WTO is gaining momentum, the systematic normative evaluation of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund is comparatively less developed. This chapter contributes to that nascent inquiry. How might global justice criteria apply to the ideology and operations of the Bank and Fund? Political theory offers an abundance of perspectives from which to conduct such an analysis; this chapter focuses on Rawls's theory of justice as fairness adapted to international institutions by the author in connection with the WTO and extend it to the remaining “legs” of the Bretton Woods “stool”. It asks what difference it would make for the Bank and Fund if an explicit global justice framework informed their international lending activities.
Jonathan A. Fox
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199208852
- eISBN:
- 9780191709005
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199208852.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Democratization
How can the seeds of accountability ever grow in authoritarian environments? Embedding accountability into the state is an inherently uneven, partial, and contested process. Campaigns for public ...
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How can the seeds of accountability ever grow in authoritarian environments? Embedding accountability into the state is an inherently uneven, partial, and contested process. Campaigns for public accountability often win limited concessions at best, but they can leave cracks in the system that serve as handholds for subsequent efforts to open up the state to public scrutiny. This book explores how civil society ‘thickens’ by comparing two decades of rural citizens' struggles to hold the Mexican state accountable, exploring both change and continuity before, during, and after national electoral turning points. The book addresses how much power-sharing really happens in policy innovations that include participatory social and environmental councils, citizen oversight of elections and the secret ballot, decentralized social investment funds, participation reforms in World Bank projects, community-managed food programs, as well as new social oversight and public information access reforms. Meanwhile, efforts to exercise voice unfold at the same time as rural citizens consider their exit options, as millions migrate to the US, where many have since come together in a new migrant civil society. This book concludes that new analytical frameworks are needed to understand ‘transitions to accountability’. This involves unpacking the interaction between participation, transparency, and accountability.Less
How can the seeds of accountability ever grow in authoritarian environments? Embedding accountability into the state is an inherently uneven, partial, and contested process. Campaigns for public accountability often win limited concessions at best, but they can leave cracks in the system that serve as handholds for subsequent efforts to open up the state to public scrutiny. This book explores how civil society ‘thickens’ by comparing two decades of rural citizens' struggles to hold the Mexican state accountable, exploring both change and continuity before, during, and after national electoral turning points. The book addresses how much power-sharing really happens in policy innovations that include participatory social and environmental councils, citizen oversight of elections and the secret ballot, decentralized social investment funds, participation reforms in World Bank projects, community-managed food programs, as well as new social oversight and public information access reforms. Meanwhile, efforts to exercise voice unfold at the same time as rural citizens consider their exit options, as millions migrate to the US, where many have since come together in a new migrant civil society. This book concludes that new analytical frameworks are needed to understand ‘transitions to accountability’. This involves unpacking the interaction between participation, transparency, and accountability.
