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. 2005 Jan;95(1):60-70.
doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2004.042002.

The changing role of the World Bank in global health

Jennifer Prah Ruger  1
Affiliations

The changing role of the World Bank in global health

Jennifer Prah Ruger. Am J Public Health. 2005 Jan.

Abstract

The World Bank began operations on June 25, 1946. Although it was established to finance European reconstruction after World War II, the bank today is a considerable force in the health, nutrition, and population (HNP) sector in developing countries. Indeed, it has evolved from having virtually no presence in global health to being the world's largest financial contributor to health-related projects, now committing more than $1 billion annually for new HNP projects. It is also one of the world's largest supporters in the fight against HIV/AIDS, with commitments of more than $1.6 billion over the past several years. I have mapped this transformation in the World Bank's role in global health, illustrating shifts in the bank's mission and financial orientation, as well as the broader changes in development theory and practice. Through a deepened understanding of the complexities of development, the World Bank now regards investments in HNP programs as fundamental to its role in the global economy.

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Figures

FIGURE 1—
FIGURE 1—
1818 H Street, NW, Washington, DC. The World Bank opened for business on the 10th floor of this building on June 25, 1946 (World Bank Group Archives).
FIGURE 2—
FIGURE 2—
Villagers being examined by a member of the Onchocerciasis Control Program (World Bank Group Archives).
FIGURE 3—
FIGURE 3—
Prenatal health education class for women in Sri Lanka (Dominic Sansoni/The World Bank).
FIGURE 4—
FIGURE 4—
Doctor giving health check to child from slum area in charity-run hospital in India (John Isaac/The World Bank).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

  • The World Bank: global health or global harm?
    Birn AE, Dmitrienko K. Birn AE, et al. Am J Public Health. 2005 Jul;95(7):1091-2; author reply 1092. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2005.064733. Epub 2005 Jun 16. Am J Public Health. 2005. PMID: 15961750 Free PMC article. No abstract available.

References

    1. World Bank, “What is the World Bank,” http://web.worldbank.org/WB-SITE/EXTERNAL/EXTABOUTUS/0,,contentMDK:20040... (accessed February 27, 2004).
    1. Kapur D., J. P. Lewis, and R. Webb, The World Bank. Its First Half Century, Volume 1: History (Washington, DC: Brookings Institution, 1997), 2.
    1. World Bank, “Ten Things You Never Knew About the World Bank,” http://www.worldbank.org/tenthings/index.html (accessed March 5, 2004).
    1. The Human Development Network, Health, Nutrition, & Population, World Bank Sector Strategy Paper (Washington, DC: World Bank, 1997).
    1. World Bank, “What is the World Bank.”

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