The World Bank Essay -- essays research papers fc

The World Bank Bureaucracy is one of the pillars of modern western society. Although this statement is debatable from many aspects, most would agree that, at the very least, our lives are greatly affected by bureaucracy. Bureaucracy is the 'pure form of rational organization' (Newson, Jan 11). Not only is it a method for achieving goals efficiently and effectively, but it is acclaimed as the most able strategy to meet objectives. The World Bank is a classic example of a bureaucratic organization. It embodies all the characteristics necessary to qualify; from its complicated hierarchy and impersonal relations, to the specialization and career orientation of its employees. However, not everyone agrees on the competency of the bureaucratic organizational system. George and Sabelli in their book Faith and Credit claim that is the very structure of the World Bank which causes its failures, as well as explaining its continued existence despite these mistakes. Using Faith and Credit, with a focus on chapter six, it will be shown that it is the bureaucratic methods themselves which twist the World Bank's goals, and that these methods undermine the tasks which the Bank has set for itself. The World Bank is one of the world's most powerful agencies. Although it characterizes itself as a purely economic institution -- which controls the lending of billions of dollars -- in practice its influence, wealth, and policies all result in having immense political power (Faith 1). Although originally created to serve as an institution to help rebuild the world (i.e. Europe) after World War II, its task has since shifted to development work and poverty reduction. Through its immense control of wealth, and its international reputation, the Bank has managed to lend billions to 'under-developed' nations. The loans take many forms, including financing of mega-projects and structural adjustment. Beginning in the 1980's vast amounts of criticism on the Bank's policies began to appear, finding faults in much of its work. Many of its projects have been declared more harmful than helpful, often worse names have been used. The Bank has managed to make enemies in many activist circles; including environmentalists, feminists and even the people whose aim is to please: poverty workers (Faith 6). Nevertheless the Bank still remains an eminent institution. It is well respected by many intel... ...iticized as an institution which repeatedly fails to attain its goals, and in fact has forgotten them. Although the Bank has the world's cream of the crop development workers, its own structure has stifled, and silenced these individuals to the point of falling behind in development strategies and not adapting to real world situations of the poor. Its own structure has encouraged a quantity not quality philosophy, any attempts to change this philosophy have only exasperate the problem. Finally the poor reputation of the World Bank, due to its own follies, has led to the Bank to shift its focus from development to self preservation, not through correction of errors, but through falsely presenting itself. It is the very bureaucratic nature of the World Bank which hasled to its failure. Although clearly this paper does not discredit bureaucracy as a world system, it does present the idea that perhaps bureaucracy is not the most efficient and effective method of achieving goals, in all situations. Bibliography George, Susan and Sabelli, Fabrizio. Faith and Credit: The World Banks Secular Empire. Penguin, Toronto: 1994. Newson, Janice. In class lectures. January 18th and 25th, 1996.