ABSTRACT
As with any organization, it is a challenge to understand the dimensions and dynamics of change at the World Bank. Can patterns be discerned in how the Bank has evolved over time? Do similar causes lie behind shifts in the Bank’s mission and activities? Are there bodies of theory that can be drawn upon to shed light on the Banks institutional development? A central finding of this study is that neither international relations theory nor organization theory alone provides an adequate explanation of change at the Bank. The World Bank is a prominent actor in the international system, created by states to help govern that system and subject to the kind of state-centered analysis that has dominated the study of international relations. Yet it is also a large and complex institution that enjoys significant autonomy in its operations and goal-setting; hence, it can be analyzed using the tools of organization theory. Each of these approaches provides only a partial picture of the dynamics that drive institutional change at the World Bank.
