<P> James Ferguson has argued that the main effect of many development projects carried out by the World Bank and similar organizations is not the alleviation of poverty . Instead the projects often serve to expand the exercise of bureaucratic state power . Through his case - studies of development projects in Thaba - Tseka he shows that the World Bank's characterization of the economic conditions in Lesotho was flawed, and the Bank ignored the political and cultural character of the state in crafting their projects . As a result, the projects failed to help the poor, but succeeded in expanding the government bureaucracy . </P> <P> Criticism of the World Bank and other organizations often takes the form of protesting as seen in recent events such as the World Bank Oslo 2002 Protests, the October Rebellion, and the Battle of Seattle . Such demonstrations have occurred all over the world, even among the Brazilian Kayapo people . </P> <P> Another source of criticism has been the tradition of having an American head the bank, implemented because the United States provides the majority of World Bank funding . "When economists from the World Bank visit poor countries to dispense cash and advice", observed The Economist in 2012, "they routinely tell governments to reject cronyism and fill each important job with the best candidate available . It is good advice . The World Bank should take it ." Jim Yong Kim, a Korean - American, is the most recently appointed president of the World Bank . </P> <P> The effect of structural adjustment policies on poor countries has been one of the most significant criticisms of the World Bank . The 1979 energy crisis plunged many countries into economic crisis . The World Bank responded with structural adjustment loans, which distributed aid to struggling countries while enforcing policy changes in order to reduce inflation and fiscal imbalance . Some of these policies included encouraging production, investment and labour - intensive manufacturing, changing real exchange rates and altering the distribution of government resources . Structural adjustment policies were most effective in countries with an institutional framework that allowed these policies to be implemented easily . For some countries, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, economic growth regressed and inflation worsened . The alleviation of poverty was not a goal of structural adjustment loans, and the circumstances of the poor often worsened, due to a reduction in social spending and an increase in the price of food, as subsidies were lifted . </P>

Where does the world bank get its funds
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