The Political Economy of Development: The World Bank, Neoliberalism and Development Research (Political Economy and Development (Paperback))

Any student, academic or practitioner wanting to succeed in development studies, radical or mainstream, must understand the World Bank's role and the evolution of its thinking and activities. The Political Economy of Development provides tools for gaining this understanding and applies them across a range of topics. The research, practice and scholarship of development are always set against the backdrop of the World Bank, whose formidable presence shapes both development practice and thinking. This book brings together academics that specialise in different subject areas of development and reviews their findings in the context of the World Bank as knowledge bank, policy-maker and financial institution. The volume offers a compelling contribution to our understanding of development studies and of development itself. The Political Economy of Development is an invaluable critical resource for students, policy-makers and activists in development studies. The World Bank, Neo-liberalism And Development Research / Elisa Van Waeyenberge, Ben Fine And Kate Bayliss -- A Knowledge Bank? / Elisa Van Waeyenberge And Ben Fine -- Understanding Aid At The Bank / Elisa Van Waeyenberge -- A Cup Half Full : The World Bank's Assessment Of Water Privatisation / Kate Bayliss -- Social Capital And Health / Ben Fine -- World Bank Research On Hiv/aids : Praise Where It's Due? / Deborah Johnston -- Agriculture In The World Bank : Blighted Harvest Persists / Carlos Oya -- A Policy Wrapped In Analysis : The World Bank's Case For Foreign Banks / Paulo L. Dos Santos -- Hard Science Or Waffly Crap? : Evidence-based Policy Versus Policy-based Evidence In The Field Of Violent Conflict / Christopher Cramer And Jonathan Goodhand -- The Washington Consensus And The China Anomaly / Dic Lo -- Whither World Bank Research? / Ben Fine, Elisa Van Waeyenberge And Kate Bayliss. Edited By Kate Bayliss, Ben Fine And Elisa Van Waeyenberge. Published In Association With The International Initiative For Promoting Political Economy (iippe)--page Facing T.p. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 285-318) And Index. Intro -- Title Page -- Copyright -- Contents -- Acronyms and Abbreviations -- Preface -- Part I Preliminaries and Principles -- 1 The World Bank, Neo-Liberalism and Development Research -- 2 A Knowledge Bank? -- Part II Research in Practice -- 3 Understanding Aid at the Bank -- 4 A Cup Half Full: The World Bank's Assessment of Water Privatisation -- 5 Social Capital and Health -- 6 World Bank Research on HIV/AIDS: Praise Where It's Due? -- 7 Agriculture in the World Bank: Blighted Harvest Persists -- 8 A Policy Wrapped in 'Analysis': The World Bank's Case for Foreign Banks -- 9 Hard Science or Waffly Crap? Evidence-Based Policy versus Policy-Based Evidence in the Field of Violent Conflict -- 10 The Washington Consensus and the China Anomaly -- Part III Continuity or Change? -- 11 Whither World Bank Research? -- References -- Index A thorough look at the evolution of the World Bank's scholarship and activities. Essential for students of development studies pt. 1. Preliminaries and principles pt. 2. Research in practice pt. 3. Continuity or change?