The puzzling geopolitics of America's support for proposed World Bank reforms

In supporting a pivot away from the primary concerns of low-income countries, the US risks losing an important lever of policy influence around the world.

I: A changing World Bank at a pivotal geopolitical moment

The World Bank is in the middle of considering reforms to its mandate and scope of operations. As I argued in an earlier post, the proposed reforms likely mean that that Bank’s attention and resources will shift away from low to middle income countries; as well as from poverty alleviation in low-…