Christian Orth

Voting Power Distribution in Response to International Power Shifts. the Case of the World Bank Christian Orth

Seminar paper from the year 2013 in the subject Politics - International Politics - Topic: International Organisations, grade: 1,7, LMU Munich, language: English, comment: Why has the distribution of votes within the World Bank been relatively persistent over time although the economic strength of fast-evolving economies like Brazil, India and China has significantly changed? And why has the voice reform of 2010 only slightly changed this? , abstract: While power within international politics has undergone significant change in recent years, the voting power distribution within the World Bank has only changed marginally. Therefore, this case study tries to explain the institutional inertia of the World Bank by refering to Pierson's understanding of path dependence. After explaining the merits and pitfalls of path dependence, this contribution especially focuses on the voice reform of 2010 and its importance for the development for the institution.