Gendering the World Bank : neoliberalism and the gendered foundations of global governance

This book offers an examination of gendered power and discourse in contemporary neoliberal governance. It features extremely complex ideas and issues that are communicated in an admirably clear and accessible fashion. It could well become the definitive feminist post structural analysis of global governance, guaranteeing its lengthy academic appeal and continued market value. It argues that gender is not equitable simply to women or women's practices (as is the case with most Bank accounts of gender), which is where this book differs most from existing accounts of gender and the World Bank. There is a gap in the market for empirically detailed, theoretically driven research such as this. Gendering the World Bank provides an unusual, wide-ranging and accessible account of the constitution and effects of discourses of neoliberal governance. Paying particular attention to how gender matters in and to contemporary global governance, the author focuses in particular on the development discourse of the World Bank Cover......Page 1 Contents......Page 8 List of Abbreviations......Page 10 Acknowledgements......Page 13 Preface......Page 14 Introduction......Page 18 The World Bank......Page 19 Neoliberal development strategy in global governance......Page 25 Neoliberalism, the global political economy and gender analysis......Page 32 Structure of the book......Page 37 1 Discourse, Sex and Gender in Global Governance......Page 40 The role of interviewing......Page 42 'Discourse' as an approach to research......Page 43 'Gender' analysis as an approach to research......Page 47 A gender(ed) discourse analysis of neoliberalism, the World Bank and global governance......Page 55 Summary......Page 64 Conventions in economic analysis......Page 66 Neoliberalism as (mainstream) economic discourse......Page 77 Gender, neoliberal globalisation and the Post-Washington Consensus......Page 92 Summary......Page 98 3 Analysing the World Bank......Page 100 The structure of the World Bank......Page 101 Neoliberalism and the organisational culture of the World Bank......Page 116 The changing nature of Bank discourse......Page 119 Summary......Page 125 Introduction......Page 128 4 World Bank Policy-Making (1): Gender in/and the World Bank......Page 130 Gender in contemporary global governance: from WID to WAD to GAD......Page 131 Making the 'Business Case' for gender analysis in Bank work......Page 142 Situating gender and sex in Bank discourse......Page 147 Failing to make the business case for gender analysis in World Bank policy-making......Page 153 Summary......Page 161 5 World Bank Policy-Making (2): Reproducing (Economically Viable) Gender Norms......Page 163 Predicating, prescribing and reproducing neoliberal rationality......Page 164 Reproducing heterosexual (economic) viability in Bank discourse......Page 173 Summary......Page 186 6 World Bank Policy-Making (3): Gender, HIV/AIDS and Sub-Saharan Africa......Page 188 Racism, the West and HIV/AIDS......Page 189 Why HIV/AIDS policy-making?......Page 192 Why HIV/AIDS and Sub-Saharan Africa?......Page 193 The World Bank and HIV/AIDS......Page 197 The Bank, HIV/AIDS and gender in Sub-Saharan Africa......Page 204 Summary......Page 215 The power of neoliberalism as discourse......Page 217 The gendered foundations of neoliberalism......Page 220 Gendering the World Bank......Page 223 Appendix 1 Interviewee Codes (Anonymised)......Page 228 Appendix 2 Schedule of Questions for Interview......Page 229 Notes......Page 235 References......Page 239 D......Page 251 E......Page 252 F......Page 253 G......Page 254 L......Page 255 N......Page 256 S......Page 257 W......Page 258 Neoliberal Discourses And The Assumptions They Reproduce Have, More Successfully Than Other Forms Of Economic Rationality, Monopolized The Politics Of Global Governance And Development In Recent Years. So Often Accepted As 'common Sense', The Constructedness Of The Neoliberal Faith In Marketization, Flexibilization, Deregulation And Privatization Have Frequently Been Overlooked. Gendering The World Bank Refuses To See The World Of Economic Policy-making And Development 1common Sense2 As Value Neutral. Rethinking The Meaning/s, Processes And Effects Of Neoliberalism In The Contemporary Politics Of Development And Global Governance, The Author Focuses On Revealing How Gender Matters In And To The Global Political Economy. Recognising That Governance Is Practiced And Studied In A Variety Of Ways And Through Diverse Forms, The Author Examines The Reproduction Of Tacitly, But Crucially, Gendered Assumptions Of Economic Endeavour, Meaning And Behaviour, Assumptions That Are Presented As Universal And Neutral But That Are Highly Ethnocentric, Sexed And Gendered. Part I: Neoliberalism, Gender And Global Governance -- Discourse, Sex And Gender In Global Governance -- Analyzing The Economy -- Analyzing The World Bank -- Part Ii: Gender In/and World Bank Policy-making -- World Bank Policy-making (1): Gender In/and The World Bank -- World Bank Policy-making (2): Reproducing (economically Viable) Gender Norms -- World Bank Policy-making (3): Gender, Hiv/aids And Sub-saharan Africa. Penny Griffin. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 218-233) And Index.