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THE ROLE OF THE WORLD BANK, ITS HISTORICAL EVOLUTION, AND ITS RELATION TO THE NATION-STATE SYSTEM

Introduction

This research proposal posits to provide a platform for research on the role of the World Bank, its historical evolution, and relation to the nation-state system. The World Bank has gradually shifted from its original mandate, and has become the international patron. The foundational mandate of the World Bank is to assist countries in reducing poverty, principally by laying its focus on the structural, social, and institutional dimensions of development.

HISTORICAL EVOLUTION

The World Bank was formed at a global conference set up in July 1944 in Bretton Woods, United States. The objective of this conference was to launch a structure for economic development and cooperation, which would establish a more prosperous and stable global economy. Whereas this goal remains fundamental to the World Bank, its work is continuously evolving in response to emerging economic challenges and developments. In order to join the membership of the World Bank, a country is required to initially join the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Currently, there are approximately 200 member countries that form the shareholders in the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD). This is the primary faction of the World Bank Group (World Bank 5).

Mandate. The Bank’s approach towards has evolved over the years in reaction to the shifting requirements of its membership. Its mandate is to promote long-term poverty reduction and economic development by providing financial and technical support to assist countries in reforming specific sectors or in implementing specific projects. These projects range from building health centers and schools, providing electricity and water, fighting disease, as well as safeguarding the environment. World Bank support is normally long term and is sponsored by contributions from member countries and through the issuance of bonds (Maria 105).

Relation to the Nation-State System. While the World Bank endeavors to fashion a world devoid of poverty, it however faces passionate opposition from diverse groups. These opposition groups are opposed to the World Bank’s international patron status (Hendrik 60). The contention lies in the fact that, the basic structure of the World Bank exacerbates the currently existing disparity between the world’s poor and rich. This is due to the fact that the system facilitates the biggest shareholders to dictate the vote. This results in the World Bank’s policies being determined by the rich, but executed by the poor. This develops a scenario whereby the policies may not serve the best interests of developing countries (Andreas 790). The consequential paradox is that, the developing countries political, economic and social policies will time and again be shaped around the World Bank resolutions. 

The influence of the World Bank in several nations has contributed to the implementation of insufficiently designed and defined institutional reforms. These reforms have yielded gradual changes and contribute to the fortification of exclusionary and particularistic practices. It is evident that the Bank’s governance operations in such cases are poorly equipped to deal with what are fundamentally politically connected governance issues. These are issues that deal with informal and formal norms, as well as power struggles in national institutions (Catherine 512).

CONCLUSION

World Bank operations have a tendency to rely on the utilization of general models of policy that are executed in a multiplicity of nations with the anticipation that they will generate similar outcomes. These models are generally referred to as blueprints and they typify the overall bank operations. This paper proposes further research on the role of the World Bank, its historical evolution, and its relation to the nation-state system.

Works Cited

Andreas, Wimmer. “The Rise Of The Nation-State Across The World, 1816 to 2001: American Sociological Review, 75.5(2010).790. Print.

The author is a Professor at the University of California. This research aims at understanding the dynamics of the nation-state structures, and political conflicts.

Catherine, Weaver. The World’s Bank and the Bank’s World: Global Governance, 13.1 (2007), 512. Print.

The author is a professor of political science at the University of Kansas. The author has published numerous articles on the World Bank.

Hendrik, Spruyt. Ending Empire: Contested Sovereignty and Territorial Partition. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2005. Print.

The author is a Professor of Political Science at the University of Wisconsin. He is an authority in political economy of post-communist states. He has published numerous articles on the subject matter.

Maria, Tuozzo. Development and change: World Bank Influence and Institutional Reform in Argentina. The Hague: Institute of Social Studies, 2009. Print.

The author is affiliated to the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences, Argentina. In addition to development and governance, she has worked closely with global aid agencies in institutional reforms.

World Bank. World Bank Annual Report. Washington, DC: The World Bank, 2000. Print.

Since the research proposal focuses on the World Bank, the institution must be deemed as the primary source of information.