Publications

Most publications are available online as indicated. For a hard copy of any of the publications email your request to

See also: Tools for Activists

BIC Info Brief Series

Global crisis is good news for IFIs in Latin America by Vince McElhinny, January 9, 2009 (Acrobat PDF, 2771 KB)

Seeing the forest for the carbon? World Bank brings “market-making” to tropical forests by Nikki Reisch, December 3, 2007 (Acrobat PDF, 371 KB)

Segundo Congreso Latinoamericano de Parques Nacionales y Áreas Protegidas by Vince McElhinny, November 30, 2007 (Acrobat PDF, 993 KB)

Second Latin American Congress of National Parks and Protected Areas by Vince McElhinny, November 30, 2007(Acrobat PDF, 715 KB)

Banco del Sur by Vince McElhinny, November 14, 2007 (Acrobat PDF, 551 KB)

Bank of the South by Vince McElhinny, November 14, 2007 (Acrobat PDF, 519 KB)

Discontent, Confusion, Non-Transparency: How to Become Relevant in Latin America by Vince McElhinny, July 19, 2007 (Acrobat PDF, 495 KB)

Descontento, Confusión, Falta de Transparencia: Cómo ser relevante en América Latina by Vince McElhinny, July 19, 2007 (Acrobat PDF, 622 KB)

Who Rules the World Bank? by Bruce Jenkins and Nancy Alexander, September 2005

The Debt Burden: Is an End in Sight? by Bruce Jenkins and Pamela Sparr, November 2005

IFI Info Brief Issue 3: The World Bank, IMF and Trade by Pamela Sparr, March 2006 (Acrobat PDF, 331 KB)

The World Bank, IMF and Trade-en espanol-El Banco Mundial, el FMI y el Comercio Bank Information Center, March 20, 2006 Choike website (Acrobat PDF, 102 KB)

The Drive to Privatize Basic Services in Developing Countries by Nancy Alexander and Tim Kessler, July 2006 (Acrobat PDF, 311 KB)

Recent Publications

Survey of civil society participation in the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative and the role of the World Bank Bank Information Center, February 2010 (PDF, 250 KB) Also available: Russian

GTI comments on the World Bank's draft Disclosure Policy Global Transparency Initiative, November 3, 2009 (PDF, 365 KB)

GTI comments on the World Bank’s Approach Paper: “Toward Greater Transparency: Rethinking the World Bank’s Disclosure Policy” Global Transparency Initiative, May 22, 2009 (PDF, 204KB)

GTI World Bank Update 3: Brief comments on World Bank "Approach Paper", by Bruce Jenkins, Bank Information Center, April 4, 2009 (PDF, 129KB)

GTI World Bank Transparency Review Update 2, by Bruce Jenkins, Bank Information Center, March 13, 2009 (PDF, 71KB)

GTI Update - World Bank to Review Transparency Standards, By Bruce Jenkins, Bank Information Center, February 25, 2009 (PDF, 86KB)

GTI Actualizacion - El Banco Mundial en la revisión de los Estándares de Transparencia, por Bruce Jenkins, Bank Information Center, 25 de febrero de 2009 (PDF, 100KB)

West Bank & Gaza Country Study, Bank Information Center, February 2009 (Acrobat pdf 189 KB)

Quick Reference Guide to Extractive Industries’ Revenue and Contract Transparency at the International Financial Institutions, Bank Information Center, January 2009 (PDF, 76 KB)

Accountability and Participation in the Design of World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank Projects: Starting Down the Road from Rhetoric to Action, By Wellington Almeida, Kari Hamerschlag, Fabien LeFrancois and Vince McElhinny (Bank Information Center), CARE International UK, November 2008 (PDF, 812KB)

Assessment of International Monetary Fund and World Bank Group Extractive Industries Transparency Implementation Bank Information Center and Global Witness, October 2008. (Acrobat pdf, 646 KB)

World Bank Energy Framework Sells Climate and Poor People Short September 2006 (Acrobat pdf 857 KB)

Public Disclosure of Legal Agreements in EBRD Extractive Industry Projects Bank Information Center, December 2006 (Acrobat pdf 39 KB)

EIR Implementation Status Report: World Bank commitments on Revenue and Contract Transparency Bank Information Center, April 2006 (Acrobat pdf 65 KB)

Assessing World Bank Openness: A Transparency Scorecard_GTI September 2006 (Acrobat pdf 189 KB)

Tarnished Gold: Mining and the unmet promise of development September 2006 (Acrobat pdf 376 KB)

Monitoring MDBs in South Asia-Issues, Challenges and Opportunities Bank Information Center, August 2006 (Acrobat pdf 1.2 MB)

Mainstreaming or undermining sustainability? The merger of the World Bank's environment and infrastucture networks by Bruce Jenkins, Bank Information Center, July 31, 2006 (Acrobat pdf 199KB)

The World Bank Group, the Extractive Industries Review (EIR) and Governance: Evaluating the Bank Group's implementation of its commitments, by Shannon Lawrence and Nikki Reisch, January 2006
BIC and Environmental Defense release report assessing the World Bank Group's implementation of its governance commitments following the Extractive Industries Review February 07, 2006 | by Shannon Lawrence and Nikki Reisch, Bank Information Center and Environmental Defense The review reveals that the World Bank Group has done little to effectively and transparently factor governance considerations into the selection and sequencing of its support for extractive industry (EI) projects and strategies.

BIC Executive Director Manish Bapna testifies at Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on the Multilateral Development Banks, Manish Bapna, July 12, 2006 (Acrobat pdf 123)

Older issues of BIC's IF-Eye Newsletter

IF-Eye Newsletter #16 (Update, 16 April 2007) This issue highlights this weekend's 2007 World Bank/IMF Spring Meetings.

IF-Eye Newsletter #15 (Update, 13 March 2007) This issue highlights why you should be concerned about the World Bank’s involvement in Iraq; an update on the recent World Bank Water Week; and the upcoming Inter-American Development Bank Annual Meetings in Guatemala.

IF-Eye Newsletter #14 (Update, 20 February 2007) A number of hot topics are covered including a series of articles exposing tensions between Paul Wolfowitz’s team and World Bank Executive Directors, a vulture fund’s pending attack on Zambia, and the imprisonment of a noted oil and gas transparency campaigner in Angola. This edition also provides a handy breakdown of the International Development Association replenishment process, a review of IFI accountability, and a critique of this month’s Inter-American Development Bank’s Civil Society Meetings.

IF-Eye Newsletter #13 (Update, 2 February 2007) This week's IF-Eye newsletter spotlights the World Social Forum, the World Bank corruption plan, the Extractive Industries Review, IDB restructuring and provides updates on recent civil society and international financial institution news.

IF-Eye Newsletter #12 (Update, 22 January 2007) BIC's January 22, 2007 IF-Eye newsletter spotlights recent civil society and international financial institution news.

IF-Eye Newsletter #11 (Update, 21 December 2006) BIC's December 21, 2006 IF-Eye newsletter spotlights recent civil society and international financial institution news.

IF-Eye Newsletter #10 November 2006 BIC's November 22, 2006 IF-Eye newsletter discusses the World Bank's funding of a controversial Uruguay pulp mill, and key concerns about the World Bank's anti-corruption strategy. It also spotlights recent civil society and international development institution news.

IF-Eye Newsletter #9 November 2006 Discusses the World Bank's middle-income country strategy, and Wolfowitz's continued push into Iraq. It also spotlights recent civil society and international development institution news.

IF-Eye Newsletter #7 July 2006 Updates on activity at the International Financial Institutions (IFIs) include: civil society highlights, World Bank anti-corruption framework update, ESSD dismantling and other related events. (BIC website)

IF-Eye Newsletter #6 June 2006 This issue of the IF-Eye newsletter discusses the World Bank's anti-corruption initiative, highlights civil society activities around the IFIs, and provides recent updates on the institutions. (BIC website)

IF-Eye Newsletter #5 May 2006 The latest issue of the IF-Eye newsletter includes updates on IFI and civil society activities, and commentary on the ADB Annual Meetings. (BIC website)

IF-Eye Newsletter #4 May 2006 BIC is proud to release the fourth issue of its biweekly newsletter publication, the IF-Eye! (BIC website)

IF-Eye Newsletter #3 April 2006 Read BIC's newest edition of the IF-Eye newsletter: Spotlight on the World Bank intensifies weeks before Spring Meetings. (BIC website)

IF-Eye Newsletter #2 February 2006 Read the second issue of BIC's new monthly newsletter: the IF-EYE! (BIC website)

IF-Eye Newsletter # 1 January 2006  Read the first issue of BIC's new monthly newsletter: the IF-EYE! (BIC website)

Older Publications

 Strategic Lending on the Frontlines January 2005 | by Imran Khalid-Khan, Bank Information Center

 Engaging the IFIs in Afghanistan: The Emergence of Afghan Civil Society December 2004 | by Anne Carlin, Bank Information Center

 Revenue Transparency in the Extractive Industries: The role of International Financial Institutions November 2004 | by Heike Mainhardt, Bank Information Center

 Multilateral Development Banks and Burma: A Resource Book from the Bank Information Center October 2004 | Bank Information Center

 Combatting Corruption in the Multilateral Development Banks Testimony of Manish Bapna before the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations May 13, 2004 | by Manish Bapna, Bank Information Center

 Nomadic Pastoralists in Afghanistan: Reconstruction of the Pastoral Economy April 2004 | by Thomas J. Barfield, BIC consultant
Also available: Dari

"Zero Tolerance"? Assessing the Asian Development Bank's Efforts to Limit Corruption in its Lending OperationsMarch 2004 by Steve Herz (Acrobat pdf, 722 KB)

 Multilateral Development Bank Investment in Tajikistan Through January 2004 February 2004 | Bank Information Center
Also available: Русский (Russian)

 Rush to Reengagement in Afghanistan: The IFIs' Post-Conflict Agenda (with a special Focus on the National Solidarity Program) December 2003 | by Anne Carlin, Bank Information Center
Also available: Dari

 Multilateral Development Bank Investment in Azerbaijan Through September 2003 October 2003 | Bank Information Center. Also available: Русский (Russian)

 Multilateral Development Bank Investment in Kazakhstan Through September 2003
November 2003 | Bank Information Center
Also available: Русский (Russian)

 Transparency and Accountability in International Financial Institutions
May 2003 | by Graham Saul, Bank Information Center

 Development Bank Transparency: Issues and Opportunities for 2002-2003, Promoting the Public's Right to Know
March 2002 | Bank Information Center
Also available: Português | Español | Français

Who is Governing the Governors? Globalization, Governance, and Democracy
September 2001 | by Lisa Jordan, Bank Information Center
Not available online.

 Political Responsibility in Transnational NGO Advocacy November 1999 | by Lisa Jordan and Peter van Tuijl Puts forth the argument that relationships between and among Northern and Southern NGOs and between the people whose interests they advocate come with a set of political responsibilities which need to be recognized and embraced. This paper puts the NGOs’ role in the realm of global political realities.

 Public Access to Information: The State of Disclosure at the Multilateral Development Banks September 1998 | by Christopher Chamberlain, Bank Information Center
Offers a comparative analysis of Multilateral Development Bank information disclosure and makes recommendations for policy and implementation improvements.

Partner or Pariah? Public Perceptions and Responses to the Extractive Industries
1998 | by Christopher Chamberlain, Bank Information Center
Not available online.

A Citizen's Guide to the Multilateral Development Banks and Indigenous Peoples
May 1995 | by Cindy Buhl, Bank Information Center
Not available online. .
Also available: Español | Русский