Economic Affairs

Picking the World Bank chief: Contest needed, not coronation

For too long, realpolitik and US strategic interests have dominated who gets the job.

Associate Editor
  • Published
    Jan 16, 2019, 5:00 am SGT
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The top job at the World Bank is unexpectedly up for grabs. Out of the blue, its incumbent president, the Korean-American Jim Yong Kim announced his resignation on Jan 7, saying he will step down on Feb 1 to join a private equity firm. He is leaving with more than three years remaining till the end of his second term.

The resulting vacancy has raised a big question: Will Dr Kim's successor be an American male, for the 13th time in a row?

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on January 16, 2019, with the headline 'Picking the World Bank chief: Contest needed, not coronation'. Print Edition | Subscribe
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