Question

Patten, in the article "Malawi Versus the World Bank," notes that the goal of the World Bank and IMF is to loan poor countries money to help them institute capitalism and to bring them into the global economy. True or false?

Answer 1

Answer:

True, but it rarely works well.

Explanation:

The most recent and largest failure by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has just happened in Argentina, where the government received over $50 billion in loans that it is unable to pay. The IMF has never been successful in any country where it has helped to develop a new economic plan. Ironically, some Nobel prize winners (including Joseph Stiglitz) tell countries to do exactly the opposite to what the IMF tells them to do, and that has worked much better.

On the other hand, the World Bank has had some limited success in South American countries like Bolivia and Uruguay, specially with helping to develop new industries or expand existing ones. In Bolivia it helped to develop a new agricultural plan that improved the economy of the Santa Cruz region a lot, and it is one of its major economic successes. In Uruguay it financed new projects related to paper businesses that increased the nations GDP by almost 10%.

This is the reason why the IMF has such a bad rep while the World Bank is still seen as a valid option for financing large investment projects.