Sachs at the Bank? An insider reacts

A well informed insider at the World Bank offered these thoughts on Jeffrey Sachs–and the state of the quasi-race for Bank president: I’d say most people respect him, but see him more as the academic equivalent of Bono: Heart in the right place, but whether every idea coming out is a good one just because ...

By , a professor at Indiana University’s Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies.

A well informed insider at the World Bank offered these thoughts on Jeffrey Sachs--and the state of the quasi-race for Bank president:

A well informed insider at the World Bank offered these thoughts on Jeffrey Sachs–and the state of the quasi-race for Bank president:

I’d say most people respect him, but see him more as the academic equivalent of Bono: Heart in the right place, but whether every idea coming out is a good one just because it comes from him is a very different question.  The clash is mostly that the Bank staff see development as having to make tough choices, rather than just focusing on what makes for good programs that have wide popular support.  More money is nice, but whatever money comes from the outside, it’s just a tiny fraction of what countries spend with their own taxpayers’ money and the question is really how to make that a more effective process.  Increasingly, the developed countries are really not who calls the shots in development anymore.  So in short, the enthusiasm would be very low.  

Having said this, with Clinton increasingly out as a candidate, and the US increasingly seen to continue to the tradition of having the position, there are no names floating around that anyone is really getting excited about.  That may be a good thing — rather than serving the interests of the President, management might actually get back to the business of managing based on evidence of what works in development, and what supports countries, rather than what is seen to garner wide-spread support among the powerful global players (be they the G20 or Wall Street).

David Bosco is a professor at Indiana University’s Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies. He is the author of The Poseidon Project: The Struggle to Govern the World’s Oceans. Twitter: @multilateralist

More from Foreign Policy

Newspapers in Tehran feature on their front page news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing the previous day, on March, 11 2023.
Newspapers in Tehran feature on their front page news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing the previous day, on March, 11 2023.

Saudi-Iranian Détente Is a Wake-Up Call for America

The peace plan is a big deal—and it’s no accident that China brokered it.

Austin and Gallant stand at podiums side by side next to each others' national flags.
Austin and Gallant stand at podiums side by side next to each others' national flags.

The U.S.-Israel Relationship No Longer Makes Sense

If Israel and its supporters want the country to continue receiving U.S. largesse, they will need to come up with a new narrative.

Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Moscow Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Moscow Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow.

Putin Is Trapped in the Sunk-Cost Fallacy of War

Moscow is grasping for meaning in a meaningless invasion.

An Iranian man holds a newspaper reporting the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, in Tehran on March 11.
An Iranian man holds a newspaper reporting the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, in Tehran on March 11.

How China’s Saudi-Iran Deal Can Serve U.S. Interests

And why there’s less to Beijing’s diplomatic breakthrough than meets the eye.