Foreclosing the Future

The World Bank and the Politics of Environmental Destruction

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science, Government, Public Policy, International, International Relations
Cover of the book Foreclosing the Future by Bruce Rich, Island Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Bruce Rich ISBN: 9781610912280
Publisher: Island Press Publication: September 30, 2013
Imprint: Island Press Language: English
Author: Bruce Rich
ISBN: 9781610912280
Publisher: Island Press
Publication: September 30, 2013
Imprint: Island Press
Language: English

World Bank PresidJim Yong Kim has vowed that his institution will fight poverty and climate change, a claim that World Bank presidents have made for two decades. But if worldwide protests and reams of damning internal reports are any indication, too often it does just the opposite. By funding developmprojects and programs that warm the planet and destroy critical natural resources on which the poor depend, the Bank has been hurting the very people it claims to serve. What explains this blatant contradiction?
If anyone has the answer, it is arguably Bruce Rich—a lawyer and expert in public international finance who has for the last three decades studied the Bank’s institutional contortions, the real-world consequences of its lending, and the politics of the global environmental crisis. What emerges from the bureaucratic dust is a disturbing and gripping story of corruption, larger-than-life personalities, perverse incentives, and institutional amnesia. The World Bank is the Vatican of developmfinance, and its dysfunction plays out as a reflection of the political hypocrisies and failures of governance of its 188 member countries.

Foreclosing the Future shows how the Bank’s failure to address the challenges of the 21st Century has implications for everyone in an increasingly interdependworld. Rich depicts how the World Bank is a microcosm of global political and economic trends—powerful forces that threaten both environmental and social ruin. Rich shows how the Bank has reinforced these forces, undercutting the midealistic attempts at alleviating poverty and sustaining the environment, and damaging the lives of millions. Readers will see global politics on an increasingly crowded planet as they never have before—and come to understand the changes necessary if the World Bank is ever to achieve its mission.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

World Bank PresidJim Yong Kim has vowed that his institution will fight poverty and climate change, a claim that World Bank presidents have made for two decades. But if worldwide protests and reams of damning internal reports are any indication, too often it does just the opposite. By funding developmprojects and programs that warm the planet and destroy critical natural resources on which the poor depend, the Bank has been hurting the very people it claims to serve. What explains this blatant contradiction?
If anyone has the answer, it is arguably Bruce Rich—a lawyer and expert in public international finance who has for the last three decades studied the Bank’s institutional contortions, the real-world consequences of its lending, and the politics of the global environmental crisis. What emerges from the bureaucratic dust is a disturbing and gripping story of corruption, larger-than-life personalities, perverse incentives, and institutional amnesia. The World Bank is the Vatican of developmfinance, and its dysfunction plays out as a reflection of the political hypocrisies and failures of governance of its 188 member countries.

Foreclosing the Future shows how the Bank’s failure to address the challenges of the 21st Century has implications for everyone in an increasingly interdependworld. Rich depicts how the World Bank is a microcosm of global political and economic trends—powerful forces that threaten both environmental and social ruin. Rich shows how the Bank has reinforced these forces, undercutting the midealistic attempts at alleviating poverty and sustaining the environment, and damaging the lives of millions. Readers will see global politics on an increasingly crowded planet as they never have before—and come to understand the changes necessary if the World Bank is ever to achieve its mission.

More books from Island Press

Cover of the book Reconstructing Earth by Bruce Rich
Cover of the book The Local Politics of Global Sustainability by Bruce Rich
Cover of the book Walkable City Rules by Bruce Rich
Cover of the book Ranching West of the 100th Meridian by Bruce Rich
Cover of the book Climate Change and Energy Supply and Use by Bruce Rich
Cover of the book Worlds Apart by Bruce Rich
Cover of the book Steering a New Course by Bruce Rich
Cover of the book Replenish by Bruce Rich
Cover of the book Sea Food Through My Eyes by Bruce Rich
Cover of the book Modern Poisons by Bruce Rich
Cover of the book Cities as Sustainable Ecosystems by Bruce Rich
Cover of the book Green Fields Forever by Bruce Rich
Cover of the book Act III in Patagonia by Bruce Rich
Cover of the book Seeing Things Whole by Bruce Rich
Cover of the book A New Century for Natural Resources Management by Bruce Rich
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy