The World's Banker: A Story of Failed States, Financial Crises, and the Wealth and Poverty of Nations (Council on Foreign Relations Books (Penguin Press))
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • A story of burning ambition
  • Another reason to abolish the World Bank
  • very readable and well researched
  • WARNING
  • A very fine book
 The World's Banker: A Story of Failed States, Financial Crises, and the Wealth and Poverty of Nations (Council on Foreign Relations Books (Penguin Press))
Sebastian Mallaby
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0143036793

Book Description

Never has the World Bank's relief work been more important than in the last nine years, when crises as huge as AIDS and the emergence of terrorist sanctuaries have threatened the prosperity of billions. This journalistic masterpiece by Washington Post columnist Sebastian Mallaby charts those controversial years at the Bank under the leadership of James Wolfensohn—the unstoppable power broker whose daring efforts to enlarge the planet's wealth in an age of globalization and terror were matched only by the force of his polarizing personality. Based on unprecedented access to its subject, this captivating tour through the messy reality of global development is that rare triumph—an emblematic story through which a gifted author has channeled the spirit of the age.

Customer Reviews:

3 out of 5 stars A story of burning ambition.......2007-09-10

A story of burning ambition. Make no mistake about it, James Wolfensohn wanted to be head of the World Bank. He desired it from the late 1970s until 1995 when he finally achieved his ambition, becoming an American citizen in a rushed ceremony to make himself more presentable to the political circles in Washington that always select the Bank's chief.

Biographer Sebastian Mallaby, a British-born columnist for the Washington Post and previously the Economist magazine, describes Wolfensohn as "the most ambitious man I know". He reports this son of a Jewish migrant to Australia was "beside himself with excitement" on hearing President Jimmy Carter was considering him for the World Bank's presidency in 1980.

Another 15 years would pass before Wolfensohn, who in a packed life had found time to be an Olympic fencer, Wall Street high flyer and accomplished musician, would get the job of his dreams. What followed was the most turbulent and controversial decade in the bank's history.

Mallaby asserts the upheavals were not all of Wolfensohn's making. He took over from a series of grey, uninspiring functionaries at a time when the anti-globalisation movement was beginning to get up steam. The Bank's 50th anniversary meeting in Madrid in 1994 was disrupted by demonstrators chanting "50 years is enough", denouncing its failure to address world poverty and demanding it be closed for good.

For the one-time Aussie, this was a challenge to be relished and Wolfensohn must have thought that at 60, he had accumulated all the worldly wisdom and experience needed to meet it. That he was to be proved wrong is not a total indictment of the man. There is nothing on Earth quite like the World Bank, a vast, rambling bureaucracy full of brilliant, often contending individuals, at the mercy of an overbearing board, each member with a special agenda, and besieged by non-government organisations full of passionate anger, demanding the impossible and denouncing every minor misstep.

The new man believed he could counter this with his chief assets, sincerity and charm. He could be everyone's friend, uniting donor countries, Third World governments and the plethora of non-government organisations who were his sternest critics, in one noble crusade to ban poverty from the planet. They were glorious, yet doomed ideals well suited to the man described by a colleague as "full of grandiose ideas but not much of a manager".

But was this such a bad thing? Mallaby believes that after a succession of uninspiring technocrats at its head, the Bank needed Wolfensohn's flamboyance and spontaneity, recapturing some of the pioneering spirit of one of its great presidents, Robert McNamara.

McNamara had wanted the bank to have a human face, Wolfensohn wanted it to go over the heads of grasping and often corrupt Third World governments and deal directly with those who would benefit from its loans. In the world of realpolitik neither was wholly achievable, and for Wolfensohn it was a tough lesson to learn.

He did not cope well with failure, and when a coalition of Tibetan activists, the environmental lobby and professional China haters in the US Congress scuppered the Qinghai irrigation scheme, he lashed out at his own staff. "Didn't they ever read the newspapers? Didn't they know that Tibet was supersensitive? - and he would summon people to his office and demand whose arse he should kick first. It was not an edifying spectacle..."

The US presidential transition, at the beginning of his second term, did not help matters. The new Treasury Secretary, Paul O'Neill, was openly contemptuous of the Bank and indeed the entire international aid structure, declaring the world had spent "trillions of dollars on development and there's damn little to show for it". O'Neill offered the startling argument that if South Korea had lifted itself from poverty to middle-class comfort in four decades, every Third World country should be able to do the same.

And yet the Wolfensohn-led bank somehow weathered these storms. After a late start it showed leadership in facing the AIDS threat; the more hysterical NGOs were eventually cut loose and their criticisms ignored, while some of the "Volvo-style" loan conditions, so irritating to many recipient countries, were eased.

Despite 10 years of obstructionism, bitter infighting and over-the-top criticism, the president never lost his enthusiasm for the job. At the end he was even testing the water for a third term - the Bush White House would have none of it - and he could count among his diverse friends and supporters United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, Alan Greenspan, and Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands.

Mallaby does not come to any hard and fast conclusions about his client. He sees Wolfensohn as an indifferent manager, while giving him credit for broadening the Bank's agenda beyond macroeconomic policy to meet head on the problems of corruption and debt relief. He was able to bring the larger and more responsible NGOs on board but took a long time to realise that others "had no off switch".

The book finishes on an inconclusive note. Was Wolfensohn's presidency valuable? Did he do more harm than good? Perhaps in an increasingly complex world, with so many voices clamouring to be heard, there can no longer be clear-cut answers to questions like these. Suffice to say the World Bank survives and there are no mass demonstrations demanding that "60 years is enough".

3 out of 5 stars Another reason to abolish the World Bank.......2007-05-04

The World Bank has done nothing more than enslave the people of lesser-developed countries in sweatshop labor camps to help their countries claw their way out of debt traps, while the leaders of these countries steal the funds and export it to Swiss bank accounts. This account of failed World Bank president Paul Wolfenson's term demonstrates again how big money doesn't help LDCs to improve the livelihoods of their people. I really recommend this book, especially following the awarding of a Nobel Peace Prize to someone who understands the principles of microlending. Microlending will help many more people get on their feet than these huge disbursements of World Bank cash that prop up corrupt governments that oppress the poor.

5 out of 5 stars very readable and well researched.......2006-12-29

it's strange that sby would think fit to write a review without reading the book, particularly when the rating is so extreme, though credit should be given for honesty (in admitting not having read the book)

this book is indeed very readable and well researched, it's a rare book that provide insights into the world's most important institution that fights proverty, and correct many biased views that are fostered by the media and the ngos

1 out of 5 stars WARNING.......2006-11-27

WARNING: apparently this book will cause you to adopt mallaby's incredibly condescending vocabulary, and cause you to refer to millions of people as being "adolescent" because of their country's economic difficulties.

I haven't actually read this book, just judging from the above review.

5 out of 5 stars A very fine book.......2006-07-12

Mallaby has written a fine biography of James Wolfensohn. But perhaps more interestingly the narrative paints a vivid description of international development over the last 30-40 years. The ever changing World Bank is detailed with all qualities laid bare; what I most enjoyed about this book was the balanced analysis it recieved.

It's oh-so-easy to get caught up in the anti-globalisation rhetoric that you come of the opinion that the World Bank is really a force for evil in the World - it's clear that this is not the case. Its failures are reasonably frequent and quite high profile, but that, one might conclude, has more to do with the type of work it does and the quantity of work it does. What I also enjoyed was the look he took at the NGOs role in international development; their vocal, yet not often rational (or informed) views hold much weight and can't be ignored.

Mallaby has collected stories from figures all over the world to paint a vivid and exposing picture that any student of international development would be a fool to ignore.
The World's Banker : A Story of Failed States, Financial Crises, and the Wealth and Poverty of Nations (Council on Foreign Relations Books (Penguin Press))
Average customer rating: Not rated
    		The World's Banker : A Story of Failed States, Financial Crises, and the Wealth and Poverty of Nations (Council on Foreign Relations Books (Penguin Press))
    Sebastian Mallaby
    Manufacturer: Amazon Remainders Account
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Hardcover
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    World Resources 2005: The Wealth of the Poor: Managing Ecosystems to Fight Poverty (World Resources)
    Average customer rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    • A useful source of information on the global environment
    		 World Resources 2005: The Wealth of the Poor: Managing Ecosystems to Fight Poverty (World Resources)
    United Nations Development Programme , United Nations Environment Programme , World Bank , and World Resources Institute
    Manufacturer: World Resources Institute
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

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    ASIN: 1569735824

    Book Description

    Ecosystems are--or can be--the wealth of the poor. For many of the 1.1 billion people living in severe poverty, nature is a daily lifeline—an asset for those with few other material means. This is especially true for the rural poor, who comprise three-quarters of all poor households worldwide. Harvests from forests, fisheries and farm fields are a primary source of rural income, and a fall-back when other sources of employment falter. But programs to reduce poverty often fail to account for the important link between environment and the livelihoods of the rural poor—not just a survival mechanism—has yet to be effectively tapped.

    The thesis of World Resources 2005 is that income from ecosystems--what we call environmental income--can act as a fundamental stepping stone in the economic empowerment of the rural poor. This requires that the poor manage ecosystems so that they support stable productivity over time. Productive ecosystems are the basis of a sustainable income stream from nature.

    But for the poor to tap that income, they must be able to reap the benefits of their good stewardship. Unfortunately, the poor are rarely in such a position of power over natural resources. An array of governance failures typically intervene: lack of legal ownership and access to ecosystems, political marginalization, and exclusion from the decisions that affect how these ecosystems are managed. Without addressing these failures, there is little chance of using the economic potential of ecosystems to reduce rural poverty.

    World Resources 2005 details the steps necessary to empower the poor to use ecosystems both wisely and for wealth of statistics on current environmental, social, and economic trends in more than 150 countries.

    Customer Reviews:

    3 out of 5 stars A useful source of information on the global environment.......2006-10-21

    This is a useful source of information on the future of the global environment. It would best be read in conjunction with the World Resources Institute's web site. The prose is definitely not easy reading but a lot of relevant facts are here.

    More details on the world's future can be found if you go to my profile and check my Listamania list on Future Studies Reading List.
    The Wealth and Poverty of Nations
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      		The Wealth and Poverty of Nations
      David S. Landes
      Manufacturer: Abacus
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Paperback

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      The Wealth of the World and the Poverty of Nations
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        		The Wealth of the World and the Poverty of Nations
        Daniel Cohen
        Manufacturer: The MIT Press
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Hardcover

        Economic ConditionsEconomic Conditions | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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        Social Services & WelfareSocial Services & Welfare | Poverty | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
        ASIN: 0262032538

        Book Description

        The present situation, in which poor nations are becoming richer and rich nations poorer, gives credence to the idea that the former phenomenon is responsible for the latter. The great fear of many in the West is that trade with India, China, or the former Soviet Union will cause a collapse of the welfare state and of society's well-being.

        "Globalization" has become a loaded term. Should we believe, literally, that trade with poor nations can be blamed for our "impoverishment"? In this book, Daniel Cohen claims that there is practically no foundation for such an alarmist position. We need to reverse the commonly held view that globalization has caused today's insecure labor market. On the contrary, Cohen argues, our own propensity for transforming the nature of work has created a niche for globalization and given it an ominous dimension, causing some to reject it. Pursuing this erroneous line of thought will place the battle for social welfare "on the sidelines" when it should be fought "on the inside." Such errors in analysis must not persist; as Cohen says, the stakes are too high.
        The World's Banker: A Story of Failed States, Financial Crises, and the Wealth and Poverty of Nations
        Average customer rating: Not rated
          		The World's Banker: A Story of Failed States, Financial Crises, and the Wealth and Poverty of Nations
          Sebastian Mallaby
          Manufacturer: Yale University Press
          ProductGroup: Book
          Binding: Paperback

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          ASIN: 0300116764
          THE WORLD'S BANKER: A STORY OF FAILED STATES, FINANCIAL CRISES, AND THE WEALTH AND POVERTY OF NATIONS. With new afterword.
          Average customer rating: Not rated
            		THE WORLD'S BANKER: A STORY OF FAILED STATES, FINANCIAL CRISES, AND THE WEALTH AND POVERTY OF NATIONS. With new afterword.
            Sebastian. Mallaby
            Manufacturer: Penguin,
            ProductGroup: Book
            Binding: Hardcover
            ASIN: B000N7EEBQ
            After Wolfensohn: assessing the World Bank.(book)(Book Review): An article from: Finance & Development
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              		After Wolfensohn: assessing the World Bank.(book)(Book Review): An article from: Finance & Development
              Camilla Andersen
              Manufacturer: International Monetary Fund
              ProductGroup: Book
              Binding: Digital

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              Release Date: 2006-07-14

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              Citation Details
              Title: After Wolfensohn: assessing the World Bank.(book)(Book Review)
              Author: Camilla Andersen
              Publication: Finance & Development (Magazine/Journal)
              Date: March 1, 2005
              Publisher: International Monetary Fund
              Volume: 42 Issue: 1 Page: 50(2)

              Article Type: Book Review

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              The Wealth of the World and the Poverty of Nations.(Review) (book reviews): An article from: International Labour Review
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                		The Wealth of the World and the Poverty of Nations.(Review) (book reviews): An article from: International Labour Review

                Manufacturer: International Labour Office
                ProductGroup: Book
                Binding: Digital
                ASIN: B00099L98O
                Release Date: 2005-07-28

                Book Description

                This digital document is an article from International Labour Review, published by International Labour Office on June 22, 1999. The length of the article is 750 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

                Citation Details
                Title: The Wealth of the World and the Poverty of Nations.(Review) (book reviews)
                Publication: International Labour Review (Refereed)
                Date: June 22, 1999
                Publisher: International Labour Office
                Volume: 138 Issue: 2 Page: 211

                Article Type: Book Review

                Distributed by Thomson Gale
                The World's Banker: A Story of Failed States, Financial Crises, and the Wealth and Poverty of Nations.(Book Review) : An article from: Ethics & International Affairs
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                  		The World's Banker: A Story of Failed States, Financial Crises, and the Wealth and Poverty of Nations.(Book Review) : An article from: Ethics & International Affairs
                  Peter Rosenblum
                  Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
                  ProductGroup: Book
                  Binding: Digital

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                  This digital document is an article from Ethics & International Affairs, published by Thomson Gale on October 1, 2005. The length of the article is 1423 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

                  Citation Details
                  Title: The World's Banker: A Story of Failed States, Financial Crises, and the Wealth and Poverty of Nations.(Book Review)
                  Author: Peter Rosenblum
                  Publication: Ethics & International Affairs (Magazine/Journal)
                  Date: October 1, 2005
                  Publisher: Thomson Gale
                  Volume: 19 Issue: 2 Page: 126(3)

                  Article Type: Book Review

                  Distributed by Thomson Gale

                  Field Guide to Lake Monsters, Sea Serpents, and Other Mystery Denizens of the Deep
                  Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
                  • Really Great Book!!!
                  • Lake Monsters
                  • A lack of evidence is not proof of existence
                  • Sea Serpents, Lake Monsters and Other Beasts from the Deep
                  • A good place to start on this topic, but not perfect
                  		 Field Guide to Lake Monsters, Sea Serpents, and Other Mystery Denizens of the Deep
                  Loren Coleman , Patrick Huyghe , Harry Trumbore (Illustrator) , and Mark Lee Rollins (Illustrator)
                  Manufacturer: Tarcher
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                  Binding: Paperback

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                  ASIN: 1585422525
                  Release Date: 2003-10-23

                  Book Description

                  From the serpentine "Champie" of Lake Champlain to the venerable "Nessie" of Loch Ness, extraordinary-and un-explained-creatures of the deep have been reported in sightings throughout the twentieth century. Now, two of the world's leading cryptozoological investigators provide a globetrotting field guide to when, where, and what kind of mysterious aquatic beasts have gripped the public-and sometimes the scientific-imagination. Filled with comprehensive drawings, classifications, and maps, their book offers an invaluable and unusual resource for the intrepidly curious to investigate these sightings firsthand or to simply enjoy the fascinating accounts that others have given.

                  Customer Reviews:

                  5 out of 5 stars Really Great Book!!!.......2007-06-12

                  I have had this book for a few years now and have pulled it out on many an occasion out of curiosity of places I've been to or heard about.
                  It is written in an easy to read format and the general illustrations of the many beasts are helpful to picture what people have seen in the mind's eye. The maps are also helpful if you visit these places so you can pinpoint the main areas of sightings.
                  The book could have been a little better if the author had included at least one photo or drawing of each creature from the witnesses, but otherwise it is an excellent book.
                  I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the mystery creatures that swim the deeps of this world!

                  5 out of 5 stars Lake Monsters.......2007-01-21

                  This is a fine book on underwater crytids. It is not straight narrative, but reads more like detailed scientific reports. Whether your interest is Nessie or giant squids, this one's for you. Excellent in all respects.

                  3 out of 5 stars A lack of evidence is not proof of existence.......2006-06-13

                  Depending on what you mean by sea monsters Coleman and Huyghe's Field Guide to Lake Monsters, Sea Serpents, and Other Mystery Denizens of the Deep is an adequate introduction into the realm of mysteries of the deep. Starting with the history of these beasts carrying on to modern times introducing the reader with monsters such as sea centipede's, marine crocodiles, giant sharks, sea turtles, octopi, giant beavers, monitors, dinosaurs, and salamanders. Certainly the Jurassic seas were filled with all kinds of marine reptiles that if they were alive today would fit the description of a sea serpent. However, these creatures seemed to have disappeared about the same time the dinosaurs met their end roughly 65 million years ago. More recently the zeuglodon, a primitive form of whale, might easily be mistaken for a sea serpent if it had been alive today, though it is a mammal, not a reptile.

                  In the 19th century an unscrupulous promoter actually cobbled together several zeuglodon skeletons and exhibited them as an extinct sea serpent. Zeuglodons are found in the fossil record as recently 37 million years ago. Can we find more recent fossil evidence for sea serpent-type creatures? It will be hard. The best place to find ancient sea creature fossils are in ancient sea beds. The geology of the planet changes so slowly that most of the more recent sea beds, where we would expect to find evidence for any sea serpent-like creature that has developed over the last few million years, are still at the bottom of the oceans and inaccessible to us. A lack of evidence is not proof of existence, of course, so what we have in Monsters Sea Serpents Other myst Denizens Deepare is simply tantalizing stories. Suggestive and intriguing, but until somebody comes up with a well-preserved body, there is no proof.

                  5 out of 5 stars Sea Serpents, Lake Monsters and Other Beasts from the Deep.......2006-05-23

                  From the authors of "The Field Guide to Bigfoot, Yeti and Other Mystery Primates Worldwide", this book tackles the various sea serpents, lake monsters and other aquatic cryptids in the same manner. It's not exactly an in-depth scientific survey, but it is a pretty good introduction to the phenomena, and it does try to cover a vast array of hypothetical species. We begin with a history of the sea serpent, going through important historical sightings, early studies of sea serpents, the discovery of the giant squid, and Heuvelmans attempted categorization. In these sections the book reads pretty much as a general history of Cryptozoology, so most readers will probably be familar with the material.

                  The real meat of the book comes in from the "species profiles", in which Coleman and Huyghes showcase the different cryptids they came up with in their system. Some come from Heuvelmans' studies (with a new look at the "supper otter") while others are entirely new. Each write-up includes an illustration, maps, an overview of the creature and it's habitats, range and behavior, and a few brief sightings. All in all, over a dozen species are covered. We are presented with the familar "classic sea serpent", the "water horse" (maned, long necked seals according to the authors), Heuvelman's "sea centipede" (a multi-finned whale), marine crocodiles and giant sharks, sea turtles and octopi. More exotic sea creatures mentioned included the Trinty Alps giant salamander, Mokole-Mbembe (a surviving dinosaur said to dwell in the Congo), the Buru (a possibly extinct monitor lizard from the Himalayas), surviving populations of Steller's sea cows, a giant beaver seen in Utah's Salt Lake and unidentified species of manta rays and whales.

                  Obviously some cryptids are more believable than others, but all are given a good amount of space, along with the authors attempts at finding a scientific explanation for them. In the back of the book, we are given some interesting material such as an essay about the latitudes in which lake monsters are found, some accounts about "globsters" and other unidentified carcasses that have washed ashore, and a list of locations around the world in which sea, lake and river monsters can be sighted. On small comment is that several of the creatures mentioned in this list aren't mentioned at all in the text, but thats a small gripe.

                  Ultimately, this is a fun little book, especially for the lay reader who wants to know whether or not there is any possibility of discovering sea monsters in this day and age. Obviously some of the claims need to be taken with a grain of salt, but this book still provides a fun and interesting read. However, for the reader with a serious interest in cryptozoology, this book isn't going to replace Heuvelmans' monumental "In the Wake of Sea Serpents". Its still worth including in your personal library, but it's not the be-all, end-all word on marine cryptids.

                  3 out of 5 stars A good place to start on this topic, but not perfect.......2005-11-08

                  Coleman & Huyghe's "The Field Guide to Lake Monsters, Sea Serpents, and Other Mystery Denizens of the Deep" is an attempt to develop a classification system for cryptic and relict water "monsters." Coleman, a prolific writer in the realm of cryptozoology. takes some of his previous, less focused works on mystery creatures and looks solely at the elusive deep water creatures. The success of this work is highly mixed, however, leaving readers starved for more.

                  PROS:

                  * The authors revamp previous attempts by past cryptozoologists at creating a systematic categorization of creatures. In this way, they lay out a "field guide" similar to a field guide for birds that would make distinctions between woodpeckers and owls. For their system, they opt for creatures that hew to
                  --Classic Sea Serpent
                  --Waterhorse
                  --Mystery Cetacean
                  --Giant Shark
                  --Mystery Manta
                  --Great Sea Centipede
                  --Mystery Saurian
                  --Cryptid Chelonian
                  --Mystery Sirenian
                  --Giant Beaver
                  --Mystery Monitor
                  --Dinosauria
                  --Mystery Salamander
                  --Giant Octopus

                  * The book covers a wide-ranging variety of creatures and does a good job in globe trotting.

                  * Each type within the classification system is given some preliminary info, overviews of well-known sightings, plus a few expanded narratives containing more specific information.

                  * The book's layout is nicely conceived, with an effort made to appear scholarly enough to lend credence to the field of cryptozoology.

                  * There are plenty of interesting encounters listed, enough to keep folks interested and turning pages.

                  * The maps listed for each encounter are nicely designed and are a good frame for each monster.

                  * The bibliography is extensive.

                  CONS:

                  * While the illustrations of the types within the classification system are well done and the maps are helpful, the utter lack of photographs or illustrations related to each case depicted in a book like this is a major disappointment.

                  * No matter how the authors spin it, the classification system they've developed is no better than similar ones given in the past.

                  * Coleman lifts big chunks of his previous books for this one. It seems like many passages from his 1999 book "Cryptozoology A to Z" are reproduced in their entirety (or with minimal modification.)

                  * Some of the narratives of encounters are mentioned in the intro material for each monster type, but are then reiterated in individual examples that follow, too often adding little to what was given in summary before.

                  * Not enough credence is given to debunking some of the sightings listed here.


                  The book concludes with a basic summary, info on where to see cryptids like these, a summary of worldwide sightings based on continent, some background on famous carcasses and "globsters," helps for the ridicule factor that monster sighters incur, plus creature characteristics monster sighters should look for if they should happen to spy something unusual.

                  If you are new to the study of cryptid creatures, this is an excellent survey to start with. However, despite being an intriguing book, its lacks prevent it from being the last word on the topic.

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