Bankers with a Mission: The Presidents of the World Bank, 1946-91 (World Bank Publication)

The World Bank has been in business for more than fifty years. Starting from an original - and still relevant - goal of helping reconstruct war-torn economies, it has enlarged its mission to meet the changing needs of developing countries and the challenges of the post-cold war world. Now the World Bank's historian, Jochen Kraske, draws on the Bank's archives and other sources to tell the story of the Bank's first seven presidents and how their personalities, outlook, and managerial styles have affected the institution.

This book tells the story of the seven men who presided over the World Bank from 1946 to 1991: Eugene Meyer, John J. McCloy, Eugene R. Black, George D. Woods, Robert S. McNamara, Alden W. Clausen, and Barber B. Conable. The story throws light on the importance of leadership for the building and performance of an institution, especially a global institution. Each president made a distinct contribution to building the organization and defining its mission. The chapters in this book describe who those presidents were, how they came to the Bank, and what experiences they brought with them. The essays also analyze the problems these men encountered during their tenure and how they dealt with them, discuss the impact each president had on the Bank, and describe the legacies of these presidents.