The World's Banker: A Story of Failed States, Financial Crises, and the Wealth and Poverty of Nations is a 2004 non-fiction book by British journalist and author Sebastian Mallaby. The book is a financial biography that chronicles the tenure of James D. Wolfensohn as President of the World Bank (1995–2005).
Author: Sebastian Mallaby Language: English Subject: Economic development, finance, foreign policy, World Bank, international finance Publisher: Penguin Press Publication date: 2004 Media type: Print (hardback, paperback), e-book, audiobook Pages: 432 (first edition) ISBN: 1594200238
Summary
The book follows a chapter-by-chapter structure, each focusing on a different geographic or thematic concern related to the World Bank during Wolfensohn's presidency. Topics covered include the Bank's response to financial crises, development efforts in Africa, post-conflict reconstruction in Bosnia (Mission Sarajevo), the fight against corruption, the HIV/AIDS pandemic, and the impact of the September 11 attacks on global development. Mallaby provides a sympathetic yet critical assessment, crediting Wolfensohn for bringing the Bank closer to its developing-country clients but faulting him for attempting to take on too broad a scope of activity without a clear and manageable set of priorities.
Reception
The book received positive reviews from major publications. The New York Times described it as "a sophisticated, evenhanded take on the bank's last decade of development efforts." Foreign Affairs noted that Mallaby "provides a sympathetic yet critical assessment of the World Bank under Wolfensohn's leadership." The book was published by the Council on Foreign Relations Press and is part of the Council on Foreign Relations Books series.
Editions
- First edition (hardcover, 2004): ISBN 1594200238, 432 pages
- Paperback edition (2004): ISBN 978-0-300-11676-2, 432 pages
- Second edition (paperback, 2006): ISBN 978-0143036791, 496 pages — includes a new afterword analyzing the appointment of Paul Wolfowitz as Wolfensohn's successor
- Kindle and other electronic editions
- Audiobook edition by Audible Audio
