The good hegemon: US power, accountability as justice, and the multilateral development banks
In: Oxford scholarship online
In 1993 the World Bank created the revolutionary World Bank Inspection Panel and, with it, a precedent under international law that allowed people to seek recourse for harm resulting from the projects the Bank financed in developing countries. This was the first time that a universal international organization recognized and responded to its impact on individuals. Within a decade of the Inspection Panel, other Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) created similar accountability mechanisms. These mechanisms embody a norm of 'accountability as justice' that provides recourse for environmentally and socially damaging behavior through a formal sanctioning process. In 'The Good Hegemon,' Susan Park analyzes the 'accountability as justice' norm: its creation, how it functions, and whether it holds the MDBs to account.