EYE ON THE IFI’s: World Bank and IMF Meet in Istanbul

The annual meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) ended Wednesday in Istanbul in a climate of cautious hope for the economy and with a mixed bag of opportunities and challenges for the two institutions.

ECONOMY: Recovery Will Be Jobless
Analysis by Jacques N. Couvas
ISTANBUL, Oct 8 (IPS) – The annual meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) ended Wednesday. In spite of positive outlooks, the number of people reaching levels of poverty is bound to increase by 90 million next year, while at least 59 million workers are estimated to join the ranks of the unemployed.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=48771

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FINANCE: Not Reforms, But Reformed
Analysis by Sanjay Suri
LONDON (IPS) – The annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank have run into a predictable roadblock in setting out brave new directions: a roadblock called memory. What could have been an immensely sensible idea of turning the IMF into a new central bank for the world is up against years of mistrust the IMF has built for itself.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=48764

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FINANCE: IMF Loan Policies Worsening Crisis, NGOs Say
By Adrianne Appel
BOSTON, U.S. (IPS) – While world leaders banter about International Monetary Fund and World Bank business in Istanbul, NGOs critical of the way the Bretton Woods institutions operate are not letting up pressure.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=48744

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ROMANIA: Government Collapse Deepens Economic Woes
By CLaudia Ciobanu
BUCHAREST (IPS) – Romania is heading for a week of massive protests by state employees. With the governing coalition collapsing last Friday, the new minority government will have a hard time navigating between the demands of the protesters and the austerity measures demanded by its international creditors.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=48725

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ECONOMY: ‘Too Early To Declare Success’
Analysis by Jacques N. Couvas
ISTANBUL (IPS) – The official opening of the annual meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is scheduled for Oct. 6, but political activities and tension have already taken control of the daily life of Istanbul.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=48696

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FINANCE: World Bank Head Acknowledges Shifting Global Order
By Eli Clifton
WASHINGTON (IPS) – The world economic crisis has called attention to shifting international power structures as emerging economies gain more influence and the failure of globalisation to assist the poorest countries becomes clear, said World Bank President Robert B. Zoellick in anticipation of the bank’s annual meeting in Istanbul, Turkey next week.
ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=48626

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IRAN: New Poll Finds Strong Domestic Support for Regime
By Jim Lobe
WASHINGTON (IPS) – Despite persistent mass demonstrations protesting June’s disputed reelection of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a new survey of Iranian public opinion released here Saturday suggests majority domestic support for both him and the country’s basic governing institutions.
ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=48510

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Q&A: ‘Stiglitz-Sen Moving in the Right Direction, but Slowly’
Miren Gutierrez* interviews HAZEL HENDERSON
ROME (IPS) – Hazel Henderson is a futurist, an economic iconoclast, founder of Ethical Markets Media, and author of the books Building A Win-Win World, Beyond Globalization, Planetary Citizenship, and Ethical Markets: Growing the Green Economy. Her main focus is exploring the “blind spots” in conventional economic theory.
ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=48492

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