The Human Rights Responsibilities of the World Bank
A Business Paradigm
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12688488 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Joel E Oestreich (0000-0002-2165-0622, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2004 |
| Volume | 4 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 55-76 |
| Publication date | 2004-04-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Global Social Policy (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1468-0181 • E-ISSN: 1741-2803 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/1468018104040985 |
| OpenAlex | W2099342634 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
| References cited | 30 |
This article proposes a model for understanding the appropriate role of intergovernmental organizations in the promotion of human rights, using the World Bank as an example. Most critiques of the Bank’s record on human rights fail because they implicitly treat the institution as a pseudo-governmental agency, with the authority to choose among competing social goals. It is more accurate and instructive to see it as similar to a large corporation, with clear but limited responsibilities to society. As such it is obligated to consider human rights only when they are directly impacted by projects. The article then examines the Bank’s human rights policies. Both in its direct policies and its emphasis on ‘governance’ reform, the institution is acting as we would expect from a corporation in the same situation. Its failures to live up to even its stated guidelines reinforce the need to understand its organizational nature
Agency (philosophy · Business · Corporate governance · Corporation · Economics · Human rights · Institution · Law and economics · Political science · Politics · Promotion (chess · Public relations · Social science · Sociology · Global Peace and Security Dynamics · Human Rights and Development · International Development and Aid · Law · Public Administration · Accounting · Finance
Organizations
Modern Corporation and Private Property
Beyond the Washington consensus
National Interests in International Society
When Knowledge Is Power
Knowledge, power, and international policy coordination
Globalization, Democratization, and the Politics of Indifference
The World Bank
The Social Responsibility of Business Is to Increase Its Profits
Development Aid and Human Rights
Banking on the Poor
The Emerging Right to Democratic Governance
The Executive Head
Judicial Independence and Democratization
Governance, Cultural Change, and Empowerment
The Doctrine of Economic Neutrality of the IMF and the World Bank
| Unique citing works | 4 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,33 |
| Citation span | 2014 - 2022 (9) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 4 |