Behind the development banks : Washington politics, world poverty, and the wealth of nations

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Title:

Author:

Babb, Sarah L.

ISBN:

9780226033655

9780226033648

Personal Author:

Babb, Sarah L.

Publication Information:

Chicago ; London : University of Chicago Press,, 2009.

Physical Description:

xvi, 313 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.

Contents:

The two worlds of the multilateral development banks -- The banks and their shareholders -- The banks and the Beltway in the 1970s -- Forging a new policy program -- Disciplining the banks -- The emergence of the Washington consensus -- Augmenting the Washington consensus -- The rise of social movements -- The banks and the Beltway in the new millennium.

Subject Term:

Development banks -- Government policy -- United States.

Development economics -- Government policy -- United States.

Copies:

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Library	Material Type	Item Barcode	Shelf Number	Copy	Status
Searching... 1:IIEMSA	1:GEN-BOOK	33168025449014	332.153 B112S 2009	1	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

The World Bank and other multilateral development banks (MDBs) carry out their mission to alleviate poverty and promote economic growth based on the advice of professional economists. But as Sarah Babb argues in Behind the Development Banks , these organizations have also been indelibly shaped by Washington politics--particularly by the legislative branch and its power of the purse.

Tracing American influence on MDBs over three decades, this volume assesses increased congressional activism and the perpetual "selling" of banks to Congress by the executive branch. Babb contends that congressional reluctance to fund the MDBs has enhanced the influence of the United States on them by making credible America's threat to abandon the banks if its policy preferences are not followed. At a time when the United States' role in world affairs is being closely scrutinized, Behind the Development Banks will be necessary reading for anyone interested in how American politics helps determine the fate of developing countries.