IGOs case studies

UN summary: structure + founding + organs

Founded in 1945, has main organs: assembly (192 members), security council (5 members), ICJ (court of justice), secretariat (administration), UN economic + social council (runs the specialised agencies)

World Bank summary

gives advice, loans and grants to countries. Usually has an American leader

Successes of the World Bank

Helped finance growth, particulalry in Japan and the growth of the ‘Asian Tigers’ e.g. Singapore, whose GDP grew from 6-153$ billion from 1979-2007, global south recieves most of the benefits (e.g. Moroccan Solar Power)

Failures of the world bank

Promotes austerity (e.g. Tanzania, forced privatisation of water leading to increased bills and a decrease of girls in school), has financed destruction of the Amazon,

IMF summary

monitors global finance and gives loans when necessary, president usually EUropean

Successes of the IMF

founded in 1944 with the intention of global poverty reduction, led HIPC (highly-indebted poorer countries) initiative for debt relief for 38 countries.

Failures of the IMF

inequality in voting (based on funding) favours western neoliberalism, reduction in barriers to trade can force austerity, structural adjustment programmes can induce debt-trapping

WTO summary

founded in 1995, promotes global free trade

WTO successes

one country one vote system, has been successful in promoting trade to reduce poverty globally (e.g. Chinese fall in extreme poverty from >80% pre SEZ to <1%

WTO failures

extreme promotion of neoliberalism encourages push-to the bottom. e.g. Agreement on Agriculture allows rich countries to subsidise farmers by $400bn annually → ‘butter mountains’