World Bank

List of World Bank articles

The LNG Ogun, a gas carrier that sails under the Bermuda flag, is pictured behind some wind turbines on a breakwater, leaving the Port of Bilbao bound for the port of Bonny, in Nigeria
The LNG Ogun, a gas carrier that sails under the Bermuda flag, is pictured behind some wind turbines on a breakwater, leaving the Port of Bilbao bound for the port of Bonny, in Nigeria

Finally, Rich Countries Recognize Africa’s Right to Use Gas

Blanket bans on gas finance stifle development, hurt climate goals, and reek of hypocrisy.

FENG LI/AFP/Getty Images
FENG LI/AFP/Getty Images

Larry Summers: It’s Dangerous When Everyone Is a China Hawk

The former U.S. treasury secretary on competition with China and why he puts the chances of a recession at 70 percent.

World Bank Group President David Malpass speaks at a briefing during the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund Spring Meetings in Washington on April 13.
World Bank Group President David Malpass speaks at a briefing during the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund Spring Meetings in Washington on April 13.

The World Bank Is Still Failing the Poor

Poverty alleviation in the economically weakest parts of the world will require giving the poor a real seat at the table—which the World Bank has never done.

The United States’ candidate to head the World Bank, Ajay Banga, visits an electricity plant financed by the World Bank in Yopougon, Ivory Coast, on March 7.
The United States’ candidate to head the World Bank, Ajay Banga, visits an electricity plant financed by the World Bank in Yopougon, Ivory Coast, on March 7.

The World Bank Won’t Succeed Until the West Pulls Its Weight

The development bank doesn’t have enough money to achieve its goals—unless it gets more creative with its balance sheet.

Ajay Banga, the United States’ candidate to head the World Bank, speaks during an interview in Nairobi on March 8.
Ajay Banga, the United States’ candidate to head the World Bank, speaks during an interview in Nairobi on March 8.

The World Bank Must Do More With Less

The organization’s next president will have to tackle a growing range of issues with a shrinking capital base.

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about infrastructure investment during the first day of the G-7 leaders' summit held at Elmau Castle in southern Germany on June 26.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about infrastructure investment during the first day of the G-7 leaders' summit held at Elmau Castle in southern Germany on June 26.

The G-7 Infrastructure Plan Won’t Succeed Unless It Learns from Past Failures

Rather than antagonizing political opponents and geopolitical rivals, the U.S. government should entrust infrastructure development to the World Bank—and fund it generously.

Motorcycles queue for fuel at a gas station during a fuel shortage in Nairobi, Kenya on April 4.
Motorcycles queue for fuel at a gas station during a fuel shortage in Nairobi, Kenya on April 4.

Europe to Africa: Gas for Me but Not for Thee

Europe is ramping up its use of the dirtiest fuels—but keeps pressing Africa to stick to draconian green goals.

Senegalese President Macky Sall shakes hands with Kristalina Georgieva, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, at a conference in Diamniadio, Senegal, on Dec. 2, 2019.
Senegalese President Macky Sall shakes hands with Kristalina Georgieva, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, at a conference in Diamniadio, Senegal, on Dec. 2, 2019.

The World Bank and IMF Are Getting It Wrong on Climate Change

Rich donor countries are working to deprioritize poverty reduction and economic development in the global south.

Women wait for staff members from Doctors Without Borders at a camp for internally displaced people on the outskirts of Herat, Afghanistan, on Nov. 22.
Women wait for staff members from Doctors Without Borders at a camp for internally displaced people on the outskirts of Herat, Afghanistan, on Nov. 22.

U.N., World Bank Under Pressure to Offer Aid to Afghanistan

The existing sanctions regime on Taliban leaders makes it hard for the world to help the Afghan people.

A security guard walks through the headquarters of the International Monetary Fund in Washington on April 5.
A security guard walks through the headquarters of the International Monetary Fund in Washington on April 5.

The World Bank Is Missing U.S. Leadership

Biden’s sacking of Trump appointees at international financial institutions has left a vacuum.

People collect recyclable items at a landfill, to be sold for extra income, in Iraq
People collect recyclable items at a landfill, to be sold for extra income, in Iraq

Global Poverty Rampant Despite Sunny Talk, U.N. Finds

Reliance on arbitrary metrics, like a $1.90-a-day bar for poverty, masks huge and growing inequality in the world.

Somalis wait at a food distribution center outside Mogadishu.
Somalis wait at a food distribution center outside Mogadishu.

U.S. Bureaucratic Blunder Could Cost Somalia Desperately Needed Debt Relief

U.S. ambassador considers resigning over the issue, which could harm U.S. anti-terrorism mission and aid programs there, officials say.

A Uighur woman stands beside a propaganda painting showing soldiers meeting with a Uighur family, outside a military hospital near Kashgar in China's northwest Xinjiang region on July 2, 2019.
A Uighur woman stands beside a propaganda painting showing soldiers meeting with a Uighur family, outside a military hospital near Kashgar in China's northwest Xinjiang region on July 2, 2019.

The World Bank Was Warned About Funding Repression in Xinjiang

A school supported by the $50 million loan purchased barbed wire, gas launchers, and body armor.

Women work at a sweatshop sewing clothes under contract with local clothing manufacturers in Manila, the Philippines, on July 12, 2013.
Women work at a sweatshop sewing clothes under contract with local clothing manufacturers in Manila, the Philippines, on July 12, 2013.

‘We Need a New Vision in Development’

World Bank chief economist Pinelopi Goldberg says equality can’t be an afterthought in plans for economic growth.

Chinese workers construct a shopping mall at a retail and office complex, part of 
a Chinese-backed building boom in Colombo, Sri Lanka, in November 2018. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)
Chinese workers construct a shopping mall at a retail and office complex, part of a Chinese-backed building boom in Colombo, Sri Lanka, in November 2018. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)

Catching China by the Belt (and Road)

How Washington can beat Beijing’s global influence campaign.

The Trump administration nominated David Malpass as the new head of the World Bank after President Jim Yong Kim abruptly stepped down. (Eric Baradat/AFP/Getty Images)
The Trump administration nominated David Malpass as the new head of the World Bank after President Jim Yong Kim abruptly stepped down. (Eric Baradat/AFP/Getty Images)

Will David Malpass Run the World Bank or Ruin It?

Trump taps a critic of the world’s biggest development bank to be its next president.

Syrian refugees, stuck between the Jordanian and Syrian borders, wait to cross into Jordan at the Hadalat border crossing on Jan. 14, 2016. (Khalil Mazraawi/AFP/Getty Images)
Syrian refugees, stuck between the Jordanian and Syrian borders, wait to cross into Jordan at the Hadalat border crossing on Jan. 14, 2016. (Khalil Mazraawi/AFP/Getty Images)

Investing in Low-Wage Jobs Is the Wrong Way to Reduce Migration

Unless would-be migrants can build lives with dignity—which poorly paid, export-oriented jobs do not provide—they will continue to seek ways to move on.

People walk past the World Bank Group's headquarters in Washington, D.C., on May 3, 2013. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images)
People walk past the World Bank Group's headquarters in Washington, D.C., on May 3, 2013. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images)

The World Bank Needs to Join the 21st Century

The next president of the world’s largest development organization needs to chart a new direction for a new era.

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