Ideas, Institutions and the World Bank: The Social Protection and Fragile States Agendas. Issue 1 (14th October 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Mackinder, Sophie
• Is Part Of: Global policy. Volume 11:Issue 1(2020)
• Page Start: 26
• Page End: 35
• Publication Date: 2019-10-14
• Subjects: Globalization -- Periodicals; International relations -- Periodicals; World politics -- Periodicals; 327.1705
• DOI: 10.1111/1758-5899.12746
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1758-5880

Abstract

Abstract: Ideas and institutions are frequently used as explanatory concepts regarding policy development and change. There is an on‐going debate as to the explanatory weight that each should be afforded; Weiss and Carayannis (2001) identify a spectrum of opinions, with 'institutionalist' approaches that embed ideas within institutionalist frameworks at one end, and 'constructivist' approaches which argue that ideational concepts should be dis‐embedded from institutional considerations at the other. Drawing on 43 interviews with senior World Bank staff and a documentary analysis, this paper traces two policy agendas – social protection and fragile states – to identify the institutional and ideational features of the World Bank that a developmental agenda must navigate to achieve prominence in the Bank's work. It finds that the success of a policy agenda is determined by whether the ideas fit with a macro‐ideational dominant paradigm, and identifies several institutional features such as the incentive structure and lending mechanisms that influence an agenda's success. Abstract : There is a need for reflection on the organisational architecture of the Bank and a focused effort to encourage spaces for new ideas and cross‐departmental working.