[stop-imf] WDM Report: 'Denying Democracy: How the IMF and World Bank take power from people'

[robert weissman]

New WDM Report: 'Denying Democracy: How the IMF and World Bank take
power from people'

http://www.wdm.org.uk/democracy/democracy.pdf

Dear Friend,

The past decade has seen increasing criticism of the World Bank and IMF
- and the governments of the industrialised world that have a
controlling stake on the boards of these two institutions - over the way
they impose policies on poor countries and the lack of transparency and
democracy in their decision-making processes.

The IMF and World Bank have, in recent years, responded to this
  criticism by adopting new ways of working and new rhetoric on 'country
ownership' and 'participation'. In light of these developments, the
World Development Movement (WDM) has taken a fresh look at whether the
IFIs provide a real say for people, parliaments and governments from
poor countries in how their economies are run and how the IFIs are run.

Sadly, there is little evidence of significant change.

WDM's new report, 'Denying Democracy':

* analyses the content of Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) and
concludes that, despite the fine words surrounding participation and
'country-ownership', the evidence demonstrates they have become a
rubber-stamping exercise for conventional Bank and Fund policies;

* looks at popular protest against World Bank and IMF policies,
demonstrating that all over the developing world individual citizens are
being ignored by the decisions imposed by these institutions and are
compelled to take action;

* catalogues how parliaments have been routinely ignored, bypassed and,
ultimately undermined;

* exposes how even central governments have tried and often failed to
oppose IFI policy impositions and pursue a different path;

* demonstrates the continuing gaping democratic deficit in the internal
decision-making structures of the World Bank and IMF.

The release of this report is part of WDM's ongoing campaign against IMF
and World Bank imposed economic policies that are unsuccessful,
undemocratic and unfair. It is available at
http://www.wdm.org.uk/democracy/democracy.pdf Free hard copies of the
report are available by emailing <tim@wdm.org.uk>.

WDM hopes that you find the report useful and hopes that you will
support the continuing global struggle by many individuals and
organisations to stop the IMF and World Bank undermining the ability of
people across the developing world having control over their own lives.

Best wishes,

Tim Jones