Introduction

Catherine Caufield, Masters of Illusion, 1996, p. 2 The World Bank is the key institution through which rich nations channel resources to poor nations in support of their economic development. Established over fifty years ago in a radically different international environment, the Bank has reinvented itself continually in response to demands from its member states, the predilections of its staff, changes in the developing world, and shifts in the broader understanding of economic development.