The Globalizers: The IMF, the World Bank, and Their Borrowers (Cornell Studies in Money)
"After World War II, the winning powers created the International Monetary Fund (IMF), to bring stability to the international monetary system, and the World Bank, to channel investment into development and reconstruction projects. Woods examines both institutions and how they have preformed these roles in regard to underdeveloped borrower nations. She chronicles the involvement of the IMF and the World Bank with Mexico, Russia, and sub-Saharan Africa. In a very balanced analysis, she shows that both institutions have failed in many instances to improve the lot of such countries, too often promoting policies to please their powerful shareholder nations such as the United States while failing to understand and deal with the special needs of borrower nations. She concludes by recommending six reforms for the two institutions to make them more open and equitable in their advertising and lending."—Library Journal"Perhaps mirroring public debate on the issue, scholarship on the role of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank in economic development has often treated these institutions as mere conduits of U.S. interest. In The Globalizers, Ngaire Woods seeks to amend this perception, offering a rich account of their activities that emphasizes the inner workings of these institutions and their negotiations with policymakers in developing countries. As such, The Globalizers provides an invaluable look at the processes that shape the IMF and World Bank's role in the global economy."—Steven R.Hall, International Studies Review"No other book provides such an elegant introduction to the principal lending operations of both the IMF and the World Bank. With exceptional clarity and grace, Ngaire Woods strikes a balance between analysis and constructive criticism. Her portrait of the contemporary evolution of the policies and practices of the IMF and World Bank seamlessly integrates an impressive range of research and journalistic coverage."—Louis W. Pauly, Director, Centre for International Studies, University of Toronto, author of Who Elected the Bankers?'The Globalizers is an outstanding study of the relationships among the IMF, the World Bank, and their clients. Ngaire Woods presents rich empirical stories and strong analytical insights into the role and mission of these institutions and their relationships. This is a book for those with genuinely open minds about this most complex of subjects.'—Richard Higgott, University of Warwick, coeditor of Global Governance