ABSTRACT
Development is about ideology and the production and transmission of policies and discourses. The World Bank (WB) was formally established on 27 December 1945, following the ratification of the Bretton Woods agreement. Based in New York, it was initially focused on post-World War Two reconstruction in Europe. It is involved in post-conflict reconstruction, reconstruction after natural disasters, and responses to humanitarian emergencies. The WB is part of a group of International Finance Institutions, which form a tier of unaccountable international governance organizations that have a major impact on the economic affairs of all countries. Alongside the World Trade Organization, they have perpetuated neoliberal discourses of globalization and so-called ‘free’ trade that have dominated international development policy since the 1980s. The United Nations was founded in 1945 to prevent wars and foster dialogue between nations. Its aims are to facilitate cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress and human rights issues.
