• Research
  • Strategic Europe
  • About
  • Experts
Carnegie Europe logoCarnegie lettermark logo
EUUkraine
  • Donate
The Role of the Multilateral Development Banks in Emerging Market Economies
Report

The Role of the Multilateral Development Banks in Emerging Market Economies

Should the Multilateral Development Banks continue to lend to this group of countries or, instead, concentrate attention on poorer countries with little such access? Second, what purposes should this lending serve and under what conditions should it take place?

Link Copied
By Nancy Birdsall
Published on Apr 26, 2001

Source: Carnegie

The Role of the Multilateral Development Banks in Emerging Market Economies

Report of the Commission on the Role of the MDBs in the EMEs

Commission Cochairs: José Angel Gurria and Paul Volcker
  
Pub Date: April 26, 2001 
  

Full Text (PDF format)
Commission Members (PDF format)

Transcript of the Press Conference, April 26

Transcript of the report luncheon with Paul Volcker, May 1

 

Does lending by the World Bank and the regional development banks to emerging markets still make sense? Skeptics argue that the banks are no longer relevant for countries with access to private capital. To examine this issue, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, EMP Financial Advisors, LLC, and the Inter-American Dialogue formed a commission, cochaired by former Mexican Finance Minister José Angel Gurria and former U.S. Federal reserve Chairman Paul Volcker, to assess the activities of the multilateral development banks (MDBs) in the emerging market economies.

The Commission addressed two central questions: Should the MDBs continue to lend to this group of countries or instead concentrate attention on poorer countries with little access to private capital? What purposes should this lending serve and under what conditions should it take place?

The report argues that the MDBs should continue to lend to the emerging market economies as an integral part of their ongoing role in the years ahead. At the same time, Commission members recommend changes on long-standing MDB approaches toward the emerging market economies more appropriate to today's global economy.

About the Author

Nancy Birdsall

Former Senior Associate

    Recent Work

  • Report
    Washington Contentious: Economic Policies for Social Equity in Latin America

      Nancy Birdsall, Rachel Menezes

  • Other
    World Bank of the Future: Victim, Villain or Global Credit Union?

      Nancy Birdsall

Nancy Birdsall
Former Senior Associate
ChinaTrade

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Carnegie Europe

  • Commentary
    Strategic Europe
    Global Instability Makes Europe More Attractive, Not Less

    Europe isn’t as weak in the new geopolitics of power as many would believe. But to leverage its assets and claim a sphere of influence, Brussels must stop undercutting itself.

      Dimitar Bechev

  • Turkey Erdogan Caucasus Central Asia
    Article
    How Turkey Can Help the Economies of the South Caucasus to Diversify

    Over the past two decades, regional collaboration in the South Caucasus has intensified. Turkey and the EU should establish a cooperation framework to accelerate economic development and diversification.

      • Feride Inan
      • Güven Sak
      • Berat Yücel

      Feride İnan, Güven Sak, Berat Yücel

  • Commentary
    Strategic Europe
    Can Europe Still Matter in Syria?

    Europe’s interests in Syria extend beyond migration management, yet the EU trails behind other players in the country’s post-Assad reconstruction. To boost its influence in Damascus, the union must upgrade its commitment to ensuring regional stability.

      Bianka Speidl, Hanga Horváth-Sántha

  • Commentary
    Strategic Europe
    Taking the Pulse: Can the EU Attract Foreign Investment and Reduce Dependencies?

    EU member states clash over how to boost the union’s competitiveness: Some want to favor European industries in public procurement, while others worry this could deter foreign investment. So, can the EU simultaneously attract global capital and reduce dependencies?

      • Rym Momtaz

      Rym Momtaz, ed.

  • Commentary
    Strategic Europe
    Europolis, Where Europe Ends

    A prophetic Romanian novel about a town at the mouth of the Danube carries a warning: Europe decays when it stops looking outward. In a world of increasing insularity, the EU should heed its warning.

      Thomas de Waal

Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Europe
Carnegie Europe logo, white
Rue du Congrès, 151000 Brussels, Belgium
  • Research
  • Strategic Europe
  • About
  • Experts
  • Projects
  • Events
  • Contact
  • Careers
  • Privacy
  • For Media
  • Gender Equality Plan
Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Europe
© 2026 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. All rights reserved.