Historical Dictionary of the World Bank

When it was founded back in 1944 no one could possibly have foreseen how the World Bank – known more formally as the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) – would flourish. Today, with 188 members, it is by far the largest lender for projects in agriculture, health, infrastructure and many other fields in developing countries around the world, with a budget of billions of dollars and a staff of more than 9,000, and its advice is usually heeded by both the developing countries which borrow from it and the advanced ones which contribute.

This second edition of the Historical Dictionary of the World Bank shows the substantial progress the Bank has made, this mainly through the dictionary section with concise entries on its component institutions, related organizations, its achievements in various fields, some of the major projects and member countries, and its various presidents. The introduction explains how the Bank works while the chronology traces the major events over nearly 70 years. Meanwhile, the list of acronyms reminds us just who the main players are. And the bibliography directs readers to useful internal documentation and outside studies.

Sarah Tenney has worked for many years with the International Monetary Fund and also for the IMF-World Bank Annual Meetings and is presently assistant professor of political science at The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina. She is the author of the companion volume Historical Dictionary of the International Monetary Fund.

Anne C. Salda, the author of the first edition, was a staff member of the Joint Bank-Fund Library in Washington, D.C. from 1966 until her retirement in 1987. As the Library's Bibliography Librarian, she was responsible for its monthly list of periodical articles, and its collection of research papers. At present she is focusing on the bank’s efforts to adapt its existing policies and practices to meet the needs of its new members in a changing world.