This course considers the operation and governance of international financial institutions (IFIs), how their projects are designed and administered, how they address accountability, and the major issues and challenges for IFIs.
• The focus in this course is on the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank (ADB). References will be made to other IFIs such as the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, African Development Bank, International Finance Corporation, Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency, and Inter-American Development Bank. These references provide a broader perspective on how these institutions treat same or similar matters such as safeguard policies and accountability mechanisms.
• Mandate, operational principles, governance structure and related provisions of IFIs
• Project lending operations with reference to project cycle, project reports, and legal agreements
• Interventions in law and development projects
• Development of policies on anticorruption and social safeguards including environment
• Engagement with civil society
• Establishment and operation of accountability mechanisms to address citizen grievances on bank projects
• Major issues and challenges for IFIs including Paris Declaration, Accra Agenda for Action and G20 and other meetings.

None

Students successfully completing this course will be able to:

• Be conversant with the organizational structure and governance of international financial institutions
• Understand the roles of various actors who are involved in the operations of these institutions including governments, private sector, and civil society organizations
• Be familiar with development projects, including law and development interventions, financed by multilateral development banks from country partnership strategy to project preparation to project completion and evaluation
• Be conversant with how citizen grievances on development projects are being addressed by accountability mechanisms set up by the institutions
• Develop critical thinking skills and analytical skills
• Enhance capacity in information seeking and retrieval
• Have openness to new ideas
• Handle multicultural sensitivity and
• Develop communication and teamwork skills.

Class Participation 20%
Research Essay 5000 words 80%

To be advised in the course outline

The reading material will be provided in the course Handbook.

Suresh Nanwani is an Advisor in the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Philippines. He is a lawyer and has more than 25 years experience in project, law and development, and institutional issues working in and with international financial institutions including the World Bank and ADB. He has worked in various offices including legal, compliance review, and human resources. He also worked on institutional and administrative matters in the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in London. He is a visiting fellow at Birkbeck, University of London.