Conference Program

During our talk, we are going to look at the new direction followed by international organizations such as the UN (at the global level) and the EU (at the regional European level). The ongoing new armed conflicts have shown that the values recognized by the international community have been questioned, creating new challenges and, on the other hand, the indispensable role of social involvement in solving these challenges. An example is the EU: Brexit and possible new member states affect the overall balance and rifts between member states and/or the Commission exist not only about relations with Ukraine and Russia or the situation in the Middle East, but also general concepts like rule of law and independence of the justice system and media. With populism on the rise on the continent, the upcoming elections to the European Parliament will be a litmus-test for the level of engagement of citizens and which values they favor and are willing to support. Community engagement is also a linchpin for the resilience of institutions and values within any democratic organization.

The World Bank has provided an array of financial products and technical assistance to help countries invest in development projects with the potential to boost economic growth, reduce poverty and bolster resilience to climate shocks and natural disasters. The economic scenario post 2008 crisis has posed challenges for the World Bank in terms of its business volume and how its work is received. The changing power dynamics has reduced emerging economies' dependence on the institution and has cast doubts upon the Bank's relevance in today's world, even with persisting demands for development assistance. The article analyses how the World Bank needs to operate as a typical bank to be financially viable and the unique role of major emerging countries in this regard, as the Bank’s most profitable clients. Drawing from historical and sociological institutionalism and by assessing the institutional design of its leading institutions, IBRD and IDA, the article discuss how the institutional design of the World Bank constrains its functioning as a typical bank instead of a development agency, and provides the institution with financial autonomy that stems from its self-sustaining business model.

The paper examines the fundamental changes in the current international system. We focus on the evolving role and strategies, or lack thereof, of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in general and its Development Assistance Committee (DAC) as the "rich countries club" in particular with regard to the expansion of the organization and the inclusion of non-traditional members.

The OECD has long represented the prevailing practices and norms of the Western-led liberal international order in global (economic) governance. The DAC consists mainly of the major Western countries as well as countries adopting Western norms, values and practices (e.g. Japan and, more recently, South Korea). Given the changes and continuities in today's global politics, as well as the challenges facing the prevailing institutions of the liberal international order, the question of the nature of the OECD and what it stands for today remains an important one. The paper discusses how the OECD reflects on the potential new members. To what extent is the OECD explicit to remain as a Western club? Does the OECD have any strategy of expansion through inclusion of members from the Global South? If so, how?