The World Bank and Poverty: A Review of the Evidence on Whether the Agency Has Diminished Emphasis on Aid to the Poor

Jonathan E. Sanford

American Journal of Economics and Sociology, 1989, vol. 48, issue 2, 151-164

Abstract: Abstract. The World Bank's loan patterns in recent years are examined to see if there is any empirical evidence of a diminution of interest in poverty alleviation programs. Four very different concepts on what poverty alleviation is are used to categorize the international agency's loans: the share of lending going to (1) poor countries; (2) programs targeting direct aid to poor individuals; (3) certain sectors deemed to be intrinsically beneficial in meeting basic human needs, and (4) overall country programs which make poverty a key element of their goals. Each of the concepts has different criteria and standards. Analysis of the data indicates that the Bank seems to be doing at least as well today in the struggle against poverty as in previous decades. In some ways the Bank's current program is more poverty‐oriented than are bilateral aid programs financed by the United States and other major donor countries.

Date: 1989
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