The impact of growth on poverty reduction depends on both the pace and the pattern of growth. Attention to the type of growth that International Finance Corporation (IFC) supports is therefore critical for the institution’s effectiveness in poverty reduction.IFC’s strategic priorities on frontier areas and sectors such as infrastructure, agribusiness, health and education, and financial markets are consistent with support to an inclusive growth patter, but improvements are needed in three areas. more...

Over the past year, the response to the global financial crisis has continued to dominate the development work of international institutions, including the World Bank Group. Challenges of poverty and fragile states, environment, and climate change remain daunting, and the manner in which these are addressed is shifting. The World Bank Group must adapt to these changes for greater development effectiveness. The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the International Development Association, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) individually face particular challenges in the increasingly multipolar world. But there are opportunities for coordination across the World Bank Group, whether between public and business activities, among sectors, or across macro and micro concerns. more...