Values in Translation : Human Rights and the Culture of the World Bank

Galit Sarfaty

ISBN 10: 0804763518 / ISBN 13: 9780804763516

Published by Stanford University Press Jun 2012, 2012

About this Item

Neuware - The World Bank is the largest lender to developing countries, making loans worth over $20 billion per year to finance development projects around the globe. To guide its investments, the Bank has adopted a number of social and environmental policies, yet it has never instituted any overarching policy on human rights. Despite the potential human rights impact of Bank projects-the forced displacement of indigenous peoples resulting from a Bank-financed dam project, for example-the issue of human rights remains marginal in the Bank's operational practices.

Seller Inventory # 9780804763516

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Values in Translation : Human Rights and the Culture of the World Bank
• Publisher: Stanford University Press Jun 2012
• Publication Date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0804763518
• ISBN 13: 9780804763516
• Binding: Buch
• Condition: Neu
• Dimensions: 223W x 148H x 22D millimeters 223 millimeters width by 148 millimeters height by 22 millimeters depth
• Weight: 396 grams

About this title

Synopsis

The World Bank is the largest lender to developing countries, making loans worth over $20 billion per year to finance development projects around the globe. To guide its investments, the Bank has adopted a number of social and environmental policies, yet it has never instituted any overarching policy on human rights. Despite the potential human rights impact of Bank projects―the forced displacement of indigenous peoples resulting from a Bank-financed dam project, for example―the issue of human rights remains marginal in the Bank's operational practices.

Values in Translation analyzes the organizational culture of the World Bank and addresses the question of why it has not adopted a human rights framework. Academics and social advocates have typically focused on legal restrictions in the Bank's Articles of Agreement. This work's anthropological analysis sheds light on internal obstacles including the employee incentive system and a clash of expertise between lawyers and economists over how to define human rights and justify their relevance to the Bank's mission.

About the Author

Galit A. Sarfaty is Assistant Professor of Legal Studies and Business Ethics at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.