Do We Still Need the World Bank?

On July 1, 2007, Robert Zoellick is scheduled to become the World Bank’s new president. While his first order of business will be to restore the Bank’s tattered credibility, he will also need to map out a long-term strategy for the organization.

What should be Mr. Zoellick’s priorities in adapting the World Bank to the realities of the twenty-first century? How might the Bank’s lending program to its poorer member countries be made more effective? How should the Bank deal with corruption? Should the Bank continue to lend to middle income countries? These questions will be addressed in a keynote speech by U.S. Congressman Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) and discussed by a panel including Colin Bradford of the Brookings Institution, Dennis de Tray of the Center for Global Development, William Easterly of New York University, and AEI’s Adam Lerrick. Desmond Lachman of AEI will moderate.

About the Author

 

Desmond
Lachman
  • Desmond Lachman joined AEI after serving as a managing director and chief emerging market economic strategist at Salomon Smith Barney. He previously served as deputy director in the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) Policy Development and Review Department and was active in staff formulation of IMF policies. Mr. Lachman has written extensively on the global economic crisis, the U.S. housing market bust, the U.S. dollar, and the strains in the euro area. At AEI, Mr. Lachman is focused on the global macroeconomy, global currency issues, and the multilateral lending agencies.
  • Phone: 202-862-5844
    Email: dlachman@aei.org

 

Adam
Lerrick
  • Adam Lerrick is the Friends of Allan H. Meltzer Professor of Economics at the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University. He served as a senior adviser to the chairman of the International Financial Institution Advisory Commission (known as the "Meltzer Commission"), where he analyzed the workings of the World Bank and reassessed its role in the global economy. Previously, he was an investment banker with Salomon Brothers and Credit Suisse First Boston, and he originated and led the negotiation team of the Argentine Bond Restructuring Agency in the $100 billion Argentine debt restructuring.
  • Phone: 434-286-2372
    Email: alerrick@aei.org
  • Assistant Info

    Name: Chad Hill
    Phone: 202-862-5862
    Email: chad.hill@aei.org
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