Change and stability at the World Bank: inclusive practices and neoliberal technocratic rationality.

Arguing that international development policymaking is technocratic is not new. However, examining technocracy as a political rationality sheds new light on intentionality, on the evolution of policymaking practices, and on change and stability as part of a single process. In short, the meaningful a...

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Published in:Third World Quarterly Vol. 42; no. 2; pp. 348 - 366
Main Author: Sondarjee, Maïka
Format: Article
Published: Taylor & Francis Ltd Feb2021
Subjects:
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
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        10.1080/01436597.2020.1838893
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        atl: Change and stability at the World Bank: inclusive practices and neoliberal technocratic rationality.
      aug:
        au: Sondarjee, Maïka
        affil: School of International Development and Global Studies, University of Ottawa, Canada
      su:
        World Bank
        Social integration
        Change
        Technocracy
        Policy sciences
        Neoliberalism
        Bank employees
      sug:
        subj:
          Social integration
          Change
          Technocracy
          Policy sciences
          World Bank
          International and other extra-territorial public administration
          Neoliberalism
          Bank employees
      keyword:
        inclusive development
        neoliberalism
        political rationality
        technocracy
        inclusive development
        neoliberalism
        political rationality
        technocracy
      ab: Arguing that international development policymaking is technocratic is not new. However, examining technocracy as a political rationality sheds new light on intentionality, on the evolution of policymaking practices, and on change and stability as part of a single process. In short, the meaningful adoption of new inclusive practices (change) has stabilised World Bank employees' mode of thought and action (stability). My overall argument is that World Bank employees translate potentially radical new knowledge, tools and concepts through a neoliberal technocratic rationality, thereby translating radical practices into technocratic ones. The concept of translation can further our understanding of how inclusion has reinforced rather than challenged the status quo. I thus consider both stability and change at the World Bank from 1980 to 2010, without downgrading either. This article also explores the spread of this political rationality to borrowing governments and populations through self-censorship and mirroring mechanisms, rendering old fashioned conditionalities obsolete. This research is based on extensive interview material and archival analysis.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
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