Zusammenfassung:
This essay discusses the role of the World Bank (hereafter, the Bank) in the generation and prevention of poverty. Although major reference is made to the activities and structure of the Bank, it is believed that the points made, apply with little or no modification to many international development assistance agencies. Three reasons underlie the focus on the Bank, (a) by some metrics it is the largest of the aid agencies, and certainly does not shrink from the title of the premier development agency, (b) despite the essays accusations of opacity, the Bank is the most transparent of the aid agencies, and (c) the author has spent a substantial time working for the Bank.