Time Magazine Goes for Substance In a break with the direction Newsweek is taking this story, the article in this week's Time' is at least going for some substance rather than merely gossip.

WB watchers will notice the re-emergence of Adam Lerrick, of Meltzer Commission fame. I find his suggestion that the Bank shrink to a small grant-making-to-extremely-impoverished-countries type institution far more palpable than Nancy Birdsall's proposed re-invigorating the knowledge bank. There's a great internal critique of the knowledge bank here, if anybody's interested. The best bit refers to David Dollar's dubious research claiming that globalization is good for the world's poor:

...We see a serious failure in the checks and balances within the system that has led to Bank to repeatedly trumpet these early empirical results without recognizing their fragile and tentative nature. As we shall argue, much of this line of research appears to have such deep flaws that, at present, the results cannot be regarded as remotely reliable, much as one might want to believe the results. There is a deeper problem here than simply a wrong assessment of provocative new research results. The problem is that in major Bank policy speeches and publications, it proselytized the new work without appropriate caveats on its reliability. Unfortunately, as one reads the research more carefully, and as new results come in, it is becoming clear that the Bank seriously over-reached in prematurely putting its globalization, aid and poverty publications on a pedestal. Nor has it corrected itself to this day.

Sameer Dossani ~ May 04, 2007

"Keep track of the rumored candidates, power plays and buzz."
The Washington Post

Next & Previous

« AP: Wolfowitz Aided Corruption in Indonesia | HOME | WB staff are NOT weenies »

Categories

"Offering the rumors and gossip usually reserved for Washington's bars and back rooms."
Reuters

WBpresident.org in the news

Wolfowitz-Riza-Cleveland: New Evil-doing?
Wolfowitz's right hand man jumps ship.
Caught in the World Bank storm.
We're in the papers! worldbankpresident.org media mentions.
Hot blogging on the World Bank president.
Media contacts.
Card wants Snow.
New candidate, French views.
An £8200 job ad.
Bank chief's parting shots.

"Accomplished and intelligent… sifts through the speculation and brings you the latest news."
The Guardian

Recent Rumours

Zoellick bearhug photo.
Like old times: Zoellick and Lamy
Another middle aged white American for the World Bank !
Globe and Mail: Euros Already Agreed not to Raise Questions
Official: Zoellick according to AP.
It's (un)Official: Zoellick
Zoellick will get the nod from Germany.
An opportunity at the World Bank
UPI: Wolfowitz Replacement This Week
UK involvement in the Foundation for the Future.

Links

The World Bank
Bretton Woods Project
Eurodad
IFIwatchnet

Search this site

Archive

May 2007
April 2007
April 2005
March 2005
February 2005
January 2005