Burying the World Bank’s Info
By Andrew Natsios (U.S. News & World Report)
The World Bank is considering killing a key report on economic development.
Ten years ago, the World Bank created the "Doing Business Report," which has become a powerful tool for local reformers in developing countries trying to kickstart their economies and reduce poverty through economic growth. James Robinson and Daron Acemoglu in their impressive new book, "Why Nations Fail," argue that some economies don't grow because local elites don't want them to. They maintain monopoly control over their economies to protect their own parochial interests; growth is seen as a threat, as it may produce competition and innovation. The "Doing Business Report" is one World Bank's most successful efforts to break that control.