This book focuses on the legal challenges and opportunities for International Financial Institutions in the post-crisis world. It includes contributions from academics, practitioners and Bank staff. The contributions cover a broad array of issues, included governance reform and constitutional framework of IFIs, privileges and immunities, responsibility of international organizations, issues related to fragile and conflict-affected states, climate finance, and the recent financial crisis. The book is organized in three main areas, namely (i) Law of International Organizations: Issues Confronting IFIs; (ii) Legal Obligations and Institutions of Developing Countries: Rethinking Approaches of IFIs; and (iii) International Finance and the Challenges of Regulatory Governance.

The fourth volume of the World Bank Legal Review contains essays that examine how innovations in law, and efforts to empower the poor, can help achieve development objectives.

The World Bank Legal Review is a publication for policy makers and their advisers, attorneys, and other professionals engaged in the field of international development. It offers a combination of legal scholarship, lessons from experience, legal developments, and recent research on the many ways in which the application of the law and the improvement of justice systems promote poverty reduction, economic development, and the rule of law. In keeping with the theme of the World Development Report 2006: Equity and Development, and following the success of the World Bank Group's Legal Forum on "Law, Equity, and Development" in December 2005, volume 2 of The World Bank Legal Review focuses on issues of equity and development. The volume draws together some of the key ideas of the Legal Forum, including articles by many of its distinguished participants, and explores the role of equity in the development process, highlighting how legal and regulatory frameworks and equitable justice systems can do much to level the playing field in the political, economic, and sociocultural domains, as well as how they can reinforce existing inequalities. Consistent with the interdisciplinary nature of this endeavour, Law, Equity and Development contains work by academics and practitioners in law, criminal justice, economics, human rights, social development, cultural studies, and anthropology.

This volume explores the potentially transformative role of effective laws and legal institutions in providing people with more opportunity that is both inclusive and equitable.

Sustainable poverty reduction and equitable economic development rest on the firm foundation of the rule of law. On the domestic front, countries must engage in legal reform in order to maximize the benefits of globalization, increase efficiency in business transactions, improve the way governments deliver essential services, and facilitate access to an effective justice system. Internationally, new rules are needed to face global threats such as money laundering, destabilizing capital movements, communicable diseases, and attacks on the environment. The first volume of The World Bank Legal Review: Law and Justice for Development is the result of the World Bank’s unique experience with legal and judicial innovations and research around the world. It will be of interest to policy makers, attorneys, international development professionals, and anyone interested in the role of law and justice in the multi-faceted struggle to relieve poverty and improve living standards in developing countries.

Today, no one doubts the importance of justice and the rule of law to development. Indeed, it is a topic that excites considerable discussion. But what exactly is the nature of the relationship between justice, the rule of law, and development? And how can such a relationship be harnessed to improve the lives of people around the world, sustainably? Volume 5 of The World Bank Legal Review tackles these crucial questions head on. The 32 chapters by distinguished scholars and practitioners off er myriad ideas on the interrelation between development and the rule of law. They also present a plethora of practical lessons about translating insights into real-life outcomes. Foremost among those lessons is that sustainable development both demands and delivers opportunity, inclusion, and equity. Regulatory innovation can help people secure durable economic opportunities. Access to justice can be a pathway for social inclusion and greater citizen engagement. Legal empowerment can promote greater equity in the distribution and enjoyment of public goods. As the international community reshapes its development agenda, this volume of The World Bank Legal Review reminds us that justice, when woven into sustainable development objectives and processes, can unlock endless opportunities.