The Political Economy of Development: The World Bank, Neoliberalism and Development

Anyone 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: The World Bank, Neoliberalism and Development Research, edited by Kate Bayliss, Ben Fine and Elisa Van Waeyenberge, is a compelling volume that provides important intellectual 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 presents their critical findings in the context of the World Bank as knowledge bank, policy-maker and (global) financial institution.
This book is a profound, convincing critique of the World Bank’s approach to development research and policy. The Bank’s continuing dominance in these areas after the global financial crisis makes this book valuable and urgent. It is analytically sound, empirically grounded and carefully argued.