| Ravi Kanbur has recently decided to leave his position as Staff Director of the World Development Report "Attacking Poverty." Ravi’s decision is a source of regret for the Report’s team, for colleagues in the Bank and for many people outside the Bank who have been working on the WDR.
In leaving Ravi said he had some reservations on the emphasis of the main messages that were likely to emerge in the final version of the Report. We believe these reservations to be unfounded. Ravi was given repeated assurances that the WDR would be an objective, analytical report, as it always has been. Moreover, the WDR that is finally produced in September will continue to reflect the main themes that were in the draft that has been widely discussed around the world, and will incorporate the results of the extensive consultations that have taken place with civil society, policymakers, academics and Bank staff.
The key themes of opportunity , empowerment and security will be at the heart of the WDR as they have been in earlier drafts. In developing these themes we will make very clear not only the importance of growth in poverty reduction but also the importance of ensuring that poor people can participate in this process -- in this context education and health are crucial as is support for organizations of the poor and mechanisms to reduce vulnerability. The Report will also emphasize both the role of market reform in delivering growth and the dangers of failure in reform if supporting institutions are not developed and tailored to individual country circumstances.
Taken together these ideas make very clear that we have to take a comprehensive view of the development process, as embodied in the Comprehensive Development Framework that the Bank has been building with its partners.
Going forward, Nora Lustig, deputy director of the project, will take over as full director to manage the final phase. Michael Walton in his capacity as PREM Poverty Director will continue working closely with the team throughout the process.
The World Bank is committed to both open debate and an internal process that maintains the integrity of the WDR, in which the final product reflects the best evidence and judgement of the staff, as well as the wide range of external commentary. The report will in the end be a product of the World Bank approved by its President and by incoming Chief Economist Nicholas Stern. We see the final WDR as a contribution to an ongoing debate on what does and does not work in improving the lives of poor people.
--Jo Ritzen, Vice President, Development Economics
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