This study deals with the process of norm diffusion in international politics. It primarily analyses and explains the diffusion of the norm of ’good governance’ initiated by the World Bank in 1989. In so doing the study delivers an analysis of the norm entrepreneurship of the World Bank in this specific case of norm diffusion. Moreover, the analysis reflects on the capacity of the World Bank as a norm entrepreneur from a more general point of view. An analytical framework that mainly draws on social constructivist literature on norm evolution is developed and applied to the empirical case at hand. The analysis is divided into two parts. The first section focuses on normative structures and the second section concentrates on the norm entrepreneur. The last concluding part wraps up the analysis of the empirical case by explaining how the first and the second part of the inquiry relate. The present study suggests that social fitness is the key analytical concept to understand the process of norm diffusion in the case at hand. The analysis shows how the social fitness of the norm of ‘good governance’ and the social fitness of the World Bank as an international organisation are fundamental to understand the diffusion of the norm of ‘good governance’. The theoretical conception of norm diffusion delivered in the present study suggests that international organisations can be influential and powerful norm entrepreneurs. Furthermore, the study incorporates a theoretical conception of power into the analysis of norm diffusion and shows how power in different forms is a fundamental element to understand and analyse the social construction of intersubjectivity.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2005. / Some digitised pages may appear illegible due to the condition of the original hard copy. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Today, the issue of poverty reduction is central to the development process. This is particularly so because developing countries and the donors that prop up many of these countries' economies have come to realize that not all impressive economic gains, where they occur in the developing countries, are translated into improvement in the people's welfare. The Bretton Woods institutions have also been under attack from an everincreasing body of research for neoliberal policies that inform their prescriptions to poor clients. It is alleged that the IMFlWorld Bank's conditionalities and austerity measures have exacerbated poverty in developing countries. The main issue in this study is whether the IMFlWorld Bank policy prescriptions to Uganda have led to economic growth and helped to pull the country out of poverty or whether they have impoverished its people even further. The other question for this research to answer is whether poverty in Uganda is on the increase or whether it is just a matter of perception. This study is based on information obtained from various books, academic journals and papers, NGO reports, government publications, electronic media reports, and IMFlWorld Bank working papers and reports. This study has been able to observe that the Bretton Woods institutions have succeeded in revitalizing Uganda's economy, although the country is yet to see sustainable economic growth. Although the privatization process was riddled with corruption, the country benefited from the reforms through efficiency gains. Similarly, people who grow only food crops have not benefited from liberalization, but those who grow cashcrops (except cotton) have generally benefited from it. The study has confirmed that some of the Bretton Woods institutions' conditionalities, e.g. retrenchment, have caused poverty among some Ugandans and cost sharing has increased the severity of poverty among Uganda's poor. The study has also confirmed that the inequality gap has widened. The income poverty that was receding between 1992 and 1997 has since 2000 made a comeback. The study also reveals that other qualitative forms of poverty e.g. powerlessness and social seclusion, are widespread in Uganda. However, the study has not found sufficient evidence to directly link the increasing poverty in Uganda to the Bretton Woods institutions' policies. Finally, it is recommended that to mitigate the effects of poverty, the release of poverty reduction funds should not be pegged on conditionality. However, conditionality should be imposed on non-essential government expenditure. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING Armoedeverligting is vandag 'n kernkwessie in die ontwikkelingsproses. Hierdie waarneming is spesifiek van belang deurdat ontwikkelelende lande, en die skenkers wat sommige van hierdie ekonomieë steun, besef het dat indrukwekkende ekonomiese vooruitgang nie noodwendig tot 'n verbetering in lewens-standaarde lei nie. Die Bretton Woods instellings word al hoe meer gekritiseer oor hulle voorskriftelike neoliberale beleide. Daar word beweer dat die IMFlWêreldbank se voorwaardes en onbuigbaarheid reeds gelei het tot armoede in sommige ontwikkelende lande. Die hoof-ondersoek in hierdie studie handeloor die vraag of die IMF/ Wêreldbank-beleidsvoorskrifte Uganda aangespoor het tot ekonomiese groei en so gehelp het om die land uit armoede to help, en of dit nie dalk die landsburgers verder verarm het nie. Die tweede vraagstuk in hierdie studie is of armoede aan die toeneem is in Uganda en of dit dalk nie net 'n kwessie van persepsie is nie. Die navorsing vir hierdie werkstuk is gebaseer op verskeie boeke, akademiese joernaal-artikels en refererate, verslae van nie-winsjagende organisasie, regeringspublikasies, elektronies media verslae, en IMFlWêreldbank konsepartikels en verslae. Die studie het gevind dat die Bretton Woods instellings wel daarin geslaag het om lewe te blaas in die Ugandese ekonomie, maar dat die land steeds nie volhoubare ekonomiese groei behaal het nie. Hoewel korrupsie in die privatiseringsproses die sukses daarvan beperk het, het die land wel voordeel getrek uit vooruitgang in doeltreffendheid. Boere wat voedselgewasse plant vir plaaslike markte, het nie veel baat gevind by liberalisering nie terwyl diegene wat kontantgewasse (maar nie katoen) aangeplant het, het wel voordeel getrek uit liberalisering. Die studie het bevestig dat sommige van die Bretton Woods instellings se voorwaardes, byvoorbeeld afdankings en koste-deling, armoede veroorsaak het of die graad daarvan vererger het onder Uganda se armes. Die studie staaf ook verder dat die armoede-gaping groter geraak het. Die inkomste-armoede wat gekrimp het tussen 1992 en 1997, het sedert 2000 weer verskyn. Die studie onthulook dat ander kwalitatiewe vorms van armoede, bv. magteloosheid en sosiale uitsluiting, wydverspreid voorkom in Uganda. Die studie het egter nie genoeg bewyse gevind om die groeiende armoede direk te koppel aan die Bretton Woods instellings se beleide nie.

Baigiamajame magistro darbe nagrinėjama verslo sąlygų palankumo vertinimo objektyvumo problema, verslo sąlygų vertinimo tikslai ir būdai. Išnagrinėtas esamas metodinis verslo sąlygų palankumo vertinimo potencialas ir atlikta verslo sąlygų palankumo vertinimo modelių ir metodikų tinkamumo analizė. Tarpusavyje palyginti dažniausiai vertinami verslo sąlygų palankumo veiksniai ir atlikta pagrindinių analizuojamų veiksnių įtakos galutiniam rezultatui pagal skirtingus modelius ir metodikas analizė. Nustatyta ir palyginta pagrindinių verslo sąlygų palankumo veiksnių koncentracija pagal esamus vertinimo modelius ir metodikas. Remiantis atliktomis analizėmis ir palyginimais, nustatytos verslo sąlygų vertinimo tobulinimo krypties alternatyvos. Remiantis atlikta alternatyvų analize, pasirinkta tinkamiausia tobulinimo kryptis, pateikti pasiūlymai verslo sąlygų palankumo vertinimo tobulinimui. Patobulinus verslo sąlygų palankumo vertinimo modelį, atliktas empirinis tyrimas. Gauti tyrimo rezultatai palyginti su tyrimo rezultatais pagal bazinį modelį. Baigiamojo darbo pabaigoje pateikiamos darbo išvados ir siūlymai. Darbą sudaro 6 dalys: įvadas, teorinė dalis, analitinė dalis, empirinis tyrimas, išvados ir siūlymai, literatūros sąrašas. Darbo apimtis – 68 p. teksto be priedų, 13 iliustr., 11 lent., 64 bibliografiniai šaltiniai. Atskirai pridedami darbo priedai. / Final paper analysis the problem of assessing ease of doing business and methods to assess ease of doing business. Part of available models and methodologies evaluating ease of doing business level are overrwieved and compared in this paper. After comparison current methods of assessing ease of doing business are evaluated. Most ofently used indicators from different models that are used in assessment process of ease of doing business are compared. Concentration of most ofently used indicators is stated afterwards in a comparison way. Concentration in this work is the term used to describe influence of indicators, that are included into list of most ofently used indicators to final score of ease of doing business. Alternatives to improve current methodological potential of assessing ease of doing business are stated. After alternative analysis decision of improving current World Bank‘s ease of doing business assessment model is made. Author‘s proposals in improving the model are stated and research is carried. Results are compared with World Bank‘s „Doing Business“ results. Conclusions and suggestions for further are stated at the end of the paper.

In 1965, amid antagonism between capital-importing and capital-exporting states over investment protection, the World Bank created ICSID. ICSID facilitates the resolution of disputes between foreign investors and states. Since major initiatives to create investment rules have failed within the UN and OECD, ICSID is the only successful attempt to create a multilateral, inter-state organization dedicated to investment. This thesis probes the intellectual, political, and economic forces behind the creation and early development of ICSID. This study combines archival work, oral histories, and interviews with econometric work. On this basis, it illuminates how ICSID's creators-mainly staff in the World Bank's Legal Department-adapted their ideas to suit the charged political context. When disseminating the idea of ICSID to states, they relied on ambiguity, expertise, and incrementalism. These three characteristics constitute an approach to organization building that I term "modest multilateralism" since the World Bank's President praised ICSID as "a modest proposal." By illustrating how this approach operated in ICSID's case, I generate insights that are applicable to other international organizations. ICSID's creation differs from the expectations of institutionalist IR theory in important ways. First, there was little state leadership, and ICSID's founding Convention is devoid of substance-it merely outlines a procedure. In this way, it takes the idea of ambiguity to its extreme. Second, ICSID's founders took steps to shield the organization from the politics of investment protection: they asked states to send legal experts, not elected representatives, and avoided deliberative debate. Third, ICSID's design was explicitly evolutionary. ICSID can operate alongside changing substantive rules-multilateral, bilateral, or domestic. Finally, contrary to previous accounts, in this thesis the ICSID Secretariat emerges as a dynamic agent. The Secretariat actively pursued ratifications and advance consents to investor-state arbitration. The creation of ICSID fostered a community of practice, which subsequently redefined international investment law through treaty making and arbitral practice.

A dissertation submitted to the School of International Relations of the University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg in part-fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts, March 2017 / This thesis is situated within the study of International Relations. It centers on a critical analysis of the World Bank’s ideological framework towards its poverty reduction and development goals. It seeks to provide an understanding of the ideas, ideals, and values that form the basis of the Bank’s development thinking. Ideology plays an important role in this thesis, as the way the World Bank thinks of and pursues development is of great importance; it speaks to the ideology of development, not just within the Bank, but within the global structure of development. Literature that is reviewed in this thesis suggests that the Bank leans towards a neo-liberal ideology. The selected text for the analysis, The World Development Report: Attacking Poverty (2000-01) will also be analysed in order to review the principles that have been adopted by the Bank and the development community at large. In order to understand and explore the factors that influence the Bank’s ideological framework, this study employs two levels of analysis through a critical theoretical framework and discourse analysis as a methodological tool. The first level of analysis looks at internal sources of influence; the Bank’s voting and governance structure. The second level considers external sources of influence, such as intellectual culture and bureaucratic culture. As stated above, a critical analysis of the Bank’s key document, the World Development Report: Attacking Poverty (2000-01), will also be carried out. This thesis concludes that through internal sources of influences such as the unequal voting shares; powerful actors such as the United States have shaped the Bank’s thinking towards development, as the Bank’s view of development leans towards Anglo-American norms and values as well as interests. Through external sources of influence, the Bank has been dominated by an economic discourse, which Wade (2006) has termed ‘economic imperialism’. Through its hiring, promotion and research publications, the Bank has favored the discourse of economics. Through its financial power within the global arena, the Bank has the power to influence the development narrative, its ideas and values of development have been normalized and universalized within the development community. Its financial strength and research output, both within the Bank and the global arena, are some of its aspect that aid in the maintenance of the status quo in development, consequently, this has led to other views that are not in line with the Bank to be ignored and neglected. The Bank has also presented the neoliberal ideology as the best means to achieve development and alleviate poverty, this is evidenced through the Bank’s key text, as neoliberal principles such as privatisation and deregulation are presented as the only way to achieve development. This thesis also recognises that the Bank does not exists in a vacuum, it ideology, norms and values are also heavily influenced by events that take place on the international sphere, such as the economic crises of the 1970s that influenced the Bank’s position on poverty and development. / XL2018

Com o desenvolvimento do presente estudo busca-se investigar a exequibilidade, no Brasil, do Anexo II da Convenção de Seul, que instituiu a MIGA. Para tanto, procedese a uma análise detalhada dos sistemas jurídicos brasileiro e chileno. A MIGA consta como enfoque principal desta dissertação, em especial por se tratar do único acordo internacional sobre investimento estrangeiro assinado e ratificado pelo Brasil até o momento. Este fato eleva a Convenção de Seul a um status especial, o que demandou uma análise mais densa sobre suas bases históricas, organização e funcionamento. A comparação entre Brasil e Chile tende a incitar uma reflexão sobre a postura brasileira frente aos padrões internacionais para a solução de controvérsias envolvendo investimentos estrangeiros e o Estado. Como resultado da pesquisa percebe-se a necessidade da reformulação do direito interno brasileiro, a exemplo do que vem sendo realizado no Chile. / This research intends to investigate the enforceability in Brazil of Annex II to the Convention of Seul, which established MIGA. In order to proceed with said research it was developed a detailed analysis of the Brazilian and Chilean legal systems. MIGA is the main focus of this study, especially because it is the only international agreement related to foreign investment signed and ratified by Brazils so far. This fact ensures the Convention of Seul a special status, which demanded a deep analysis of MIGAs historical bases, organization and operation. The comparison between Brazil and Chile incites a reflection about Brazilian attitude toward the international standards for the settlement of disputes involving foreign investments and a State. As a result it was concluded that Brazil domestic legal system must be reformulated following Chiles example.

Esta dissertação tem como objetivo compreender o papel do Banco Mundial como consolidador e articulador de comunidades epistêmicas em dois projetos elaborados conjuntamente com Brasil e Argentina na década de 1990. Considerando abordagens de teoria das relações internacionais sobre incorporações de novos atores na participação de tomada de decisão compartilhada, mais especificamente de comunidades epistêmicas, assim como os documentos oficiais dos projetos, analisamos a terceira fase das reformas na área de C&T no Brasil e a reforma na área de educação superior na Argentina. / This thesis aims to understand the World Bank\'s role as consolidator and articulator of epistemic communities in two projects developed jointly with Brazil and Argentina in the 1990s. Considering approaches to international relations theory on incorporation of new actors in the participation of shared decision making, more specifically of epistemic communities, as well as official documents of the projects, we analyze the third phase of reforms in the area of science and technology in Brazil and reform in the Higher Educations area in Argentina.

A dissertação pretende explorar a agenda da educação nas relações internacionais por meio do papel das organizações internacionais. Inseridos em uma realidade multilateral, organismos como a UNESCO, a UNICEF, o PNUD, a OCDE, a OIT e o Banco Mundial ganham cada vez mais espaço na arena internacional para discutir educação, alargando as fronteiras da ação política educacional para além do âmbito nacional. O objetivo desse trabalho é traçar um panorama histórico do entendimento destas organizações internacionais sobre o tema da educação, além de identificar qual das agências é protagonista na definição de projetos e programas educacionais. Perante a ascensão do Banco Mundial com o mandato da educação, confirmada por sua liderança na iniciativa Education for All, ainda pretende-se realizar um estudo de caso sobre as propostas do Banco Mundial na educação brasileira. A dissertação está dividida em dois artigos. O primeiro consiste em uma análise da educação de acordo com a percepção que as organizações internacionais possuem do tema, com foco na UNESCO e no Banco Mundial. O segundo artigo investiga os projetos do Banco Mundial desenvolvidos para o Brasil a partir de 1990. A finalidade do estudo é analisar de que forma os objetivos do Education for All estão presentes nesses projetos e se eles contribuem para uma mudança nas regulações, práticas e prioridades nacionais, e de que forma. / The dissertation has the purpose to explore the agenda of education in international relations through the role of international organizations. Inserted in a multilateral reality, organizations such as UNESCO, UNICEF, UNDP, OECD, ILO and the World Bank are gaining more space in international arena to discussing education, broadening the boundaries of educational policy-making beyond the national level. The aim of this study is to chart a historical overview of the understanding that these international organizations have about the topic of education, and identify which agency is the protagonist in the definition of the educational projects and programs. Given the rise of the World Bank, with the mandate of education, confirmed by its leadership in the Education for All initiative, the text also intends to conduct a case study on the proposals of the World Bank for Brazilian education. The dissertation is divided into two papers. The first one consists of an analysis of education according to the perception that international organizations, focusing on UNESCO and the World Bank. The second article investigates the Bank projects developed in Brazil since 1990. The purpose of the study is to examine how the goals of Education for All are present in these projects and if they contribute to a change in national regulations, practices and priorities, and how.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-26T20:48:50Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Andre Gal Mountian.pdf: 404598 bytes, checksum: 6a3572319e1f94ff0a3766a923762bee (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-05-07 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The aim of this work is to evaluate the theoretical foundations of the World Bank activities in relation to poverty, especially in the 90s decade. It aims to examine the extent in which the concept of poverty of the Bank and its strategies of poverty reduction were based in the liberal theoretical matrix, pointing out the limitations of these strategies. The research is inscribed in the field of Political Economy, examining the institution and its contradictions, in order to understand the theoretical and historical backgrounds of its conceptions. The methodology employed is the crtitical analysis of the studies of the Bank, especially of the World Development Report. The first conclusion of this study is that there is a strong identification between the general conceptions of the World Bank and Liberal Economy. From the preponderance of the market as the best distributor of the resources in the economy and the trust that this mechanism can generate benefits to the whole society, including the lower classes, the concept of the poor is constructed as that individual that does not achieve basic resources of survival via market. For this group of individuals, the solution would be then the development of social policies focused on their needs, while at the same time that the orientation of the economy to the market is intensified. The fist limitation that was verified of these strategies of reducing poverty of the World Bark is that the kernel of its concern is in relation to extreme poverty, a specific category of poor, that one that does not have the basic resources for survival. There are not, within the Bank proposal, an emphasis to diminish social inequality, unless when affecting the growth and efficiency of economy. Another dimension of these limitations refers to the subsidiary role of reducing poverty in relation to the central objective of the Bank: economic growth. Poverty reduction has to be compatible with a model of development of the Bank, contributing to its intensification. Furthermore, the social policies focused on poverty, together with the priority of arguments of economic efficiency around notions of universal social rights, come to empty and weaken the concept of citizenship / O objetivo deste trabalho é realizar uma avaliação das bases teóricas da atuação do Banco Mundial com relação à pobreza, especialmente a partir da década de 1990. Pretende-se verificar até que ponto o conceito de pobreza do Banco e suas estratégias de redução se basearam na matriz teórica liberal, e identificar as limitações dessas estratégias. A pesquisa se insere no campo da Economia Política, tratando a instituição sob o ponto de vista de suas contradições, buscando compreender as raízes teóricas e históricas de suas concepções. A metodologia utilizada é a análise crítica de estudos do Banco, especialmente o Relatório sobre o Desenvolvimento Mundial, assim como em bibliografia secundária. A primeira conclusão deste trabalho é que existe uma forte identificação entre as concepções gerais do Banco Mundial e o Liberalismo Econômico. A partir da aceitação do mercado como melhor alocador de recursos na economia e da confiança que esse mecanismo pode gerar benefícios a toda sociedade, inclusive às camadas mais baixas, o conceito de pobre do Banco Mundial é construído como aquele indivíduo que não consegue condições mínimas de sobrevivência, via mercado. Para esse grupo de indivíduos, o melhor remédio seria o desenvolvimento de políticas sociais focalizadas em suas necessidades, ao mesmo tempo em que a orientação da economia para o mercado é intensificada. A primeira limitação verificada das estratégias de combate à pobreza do Banco Mundial é que a essência de sua preocupação é com a pobreza extrema, uma categoria específica de pobre, aquela que não tem condições mínimas de sobrevivência. Não há, nas propostas do Banco, uma ênfase na diminuição das desigualdades sociais, a menos quando prejudicam o crescimento e a eficiência da economia. Outra dimensão de limitações diz respeito ao papel subsidiário do combate à pobreza com relação ao objetivo central do Banco: o crescimento econômico. O combate à pobreza deve ser compatível com o modelo de crescimento do Banco, contribuindo ainda para sua intensificação. Ainda, as políticas sociais focalizadas na pobreza, juntamente com a prioridade de argumentos de eficiência econômica sob noções de direitos sociais universais, acabam por esvaziar e enfraquecer o conceito de cidadania

Essa pesquisa investiga a relação entre o Banco Mundial e a educação básica brasileira, em um contexto de mundialização, focando-se nas diretrizes legais das políticas públicas de educação básica e no papel do Estado quanto a estas. Para tanto, analisa os relatórios anuais, declarações oficiais do Banco Mundial, bem como os projetos na área da educação básica vigentes no Brasil, inferindo a partir desses as diretrizes do Banco Mundial para as políticas públicas de educação básica no Brasil as quais são depreendidas das propostas e documentos do Banco Mundial para a área nos últimos 15 anos. Realiza, então, análise comparativa de tais diretrizes com o arranjo legal básico das políticas públicas de educação básica. / This research investigates the relationship between the World Bank and the Brazilian basic education, in a context of globalization, focusing on the legal guidelines of public policies on basic education and the State\'s role. It analyzes World Bank\'s annual reports, official statements, as well as its projects in the area of basic education in force in Brazil, inferring from these the World Bank\'s guidelines for public policy of basic education in Brazil flowing from those proposals and World Bank documents to the area in the last 15 years. Then it performs comparative analysis of these guidelines with the basic legal arrangement of public policies for basic education.