Multilateral development banks (MDBs) are increasingly expected to address environmental issues in their economic development lending. Yet the banks have been accused of failing to implement their own environmental policies, thereby contributing to environmental degradation in borrowing countries. In this book Tamar Gutner analyzes the environmental policies of three MDBs: the World Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the European Investment Bank. She compares their performance in Central and Eastern Europe, where the need for economic and environmental reform has been particularly urgent, and where these MDBs are among the largest donors. Gutner finds many obstacles to efforts to "green" the three banks, most notably a mismatch between the environmental mandates and existing patterns of institutional design and incentives. The depth and scope of the banks' green activities reflect the degree of shareholder commitment to environmental issues and how demand-driven the MDB is designed to be. Surprisingly, the World Bank, the most scrutinized and criticized of the three MDBs, has been rather more responsive than its counterparts to its environmental mandate in the region. The discussion is framed by larger explorations of the behavior of international organizations and the sources of their innovation and inertia in addressing new policy issues. Gutner demonstrates the need to examine the impact of different stages of the policy process on new mandates and to incorporate both political and institutional variables when developing theories about the behavior of international institutions.

Inhaltsangabe:Abstract: The Czech banking sector has undergone a fairly dramatic development due to the large number of non-performing loans, which remain a problem for the banking industry. The industry is now driven by restructuring as a consequence of privatisation. There is a strong domination of Western banks in the market, which are successfully focusing an the banks' profitability. Efficiency is increasing through the implementation of electronic banking, associated with the closure of bank branches. The banks show a strong customer orientation, which facilitates a change in their income structure: moving away from income generated by interest towards that generated from fees and charges. Competition between the Czech banks is beginning to show similar patterns to competition in the Western markets. Although the main opportunities for entering the Czech banking market, including privatisation, are gone, some remain. The emergence of the competitive room is a result of the commonly pursued strategy of large, universal banks. These niche markets can be accessed more easily by foreign banks that take advantage of their existing structures, which in turn leads to better economies of scale. One segment with high potential is the property market. The economical development, together with the likely EU accession, facilitates high stability. Particularly suitable is the commercial properties sector. A bank carrying out activities in this market would operate at a lower credit risk than others. Retail opportunities result from the excess liquidity in the Banking industry. The high volume of primary deposits could be directed towards asset management services, such as life insurance and private pension. Famous foreign brands stand a better chance of winning peoples' trust. At the moment, there are too many restrictions preventing the banks from carrying out these activities. This will change with the Czech Republic's EU accession. There is an emerging personal loan market with high margins but a credit-rating agency for individuals is missing. The forthcoming EU integration will decrease the general risk in both corporate and private lending. The stable and growing economy provides a good basis for the expansion of banking activities and exploitation of the emerging market premiums provided they are emerging. Inhaltsverzeichnis:Table of Contents: List of Abbreviations5 List of Figures and Tables5 1.Introduction6 2.Macroeconomic [...]

Inhaltsangabe:Abstract: Part one of the thesis states the changes and developments that have markedly altered the banking world. This analysis is followed by a discussion about the consequences these transformations have on credit institutions in general. Special focus is devoted to the universal bank, the advantages and disadvantages of which are linked to the changes mentioned above. Part two begins with the introduction of a prominent member of the universal banking type: ING Group and its banking operations in the Netherlands, ING Bank, respectively. Both are shortly introduced and their performance measured with the help of "traditional" tools. To go deeper than the mere standard comparison of data given in annual reports, however, a new method will be introduced that approximates the relative efficiency and productivity of companies - in this case banks. This method is called "Data Envelopment Analysis" (DEA) and offers some advantages that complement "traditional" ways of assessing company performance. DEA is then run with the help of a special software programme, processing data about 65 credit institutions that are operating in the Dutch market. The focal point of interest in this analysis is on the performance of ING Bank as measured by DEA. This kind of "benchmarking" will be performed in two ways: first statically (comparison within a certain year), then dynamically (comparison over the years 1992 to 1995). Subsequently, the credit institutions will be summed up into categories like "best-practice" or "worst-practice" to conduct further analyses. The conclusions from this analysis is then taken as a basis to evaluate, whether ING Bank has been able to adopt to the growing demands of an ever faster changing banking environment. The concluding chapter relates mainly to an additional usage of DEA that is not related to benchmarking directly. DEA and the results it yields can be used to find out, which firms are especially successful in incorporating the all-important "soft factors" like firm culture, tradition, values, employee motivation, and the like. This application uses DEA as a kind of "navigator", that helps annalists to save time by pointing directly to potential owners of "soft factors". The appendix gives the sources of data used and the quality and reliability thereof. Furthermore, the credit institutions used in the analysis will be stated in name. A list of mathematical formulae that make up the DEA analysis and the logic [...]

The study of financial history has never been more important. This volume focuses on theories about the relationship of financial markets to the rest of the economy. Searching out information on financial institutions and markets from the past, this work tests theories from the 1980s and 90s with this data, mainly in two fields of economics: financial structure and performance and economic development. Understanding and testing the relationship between money and credit and the level of output in the economy, the author emphasizes, may help predict or prevent business cycles and even make it possible to increase the rate of development and growth of an economy. Although this volume focuses on one geographical and historical area of the US economy, the lessons and implications are relevant for the global economy of the 21st century.

This publication contains the annual review for fiscal 1996 (July 1995-June 1996) and a 10-year accounting of the project portfolio in a project matrix (Appendix). The annual review portion of the publication is divided into four sections:an overview, a series of regional review, a set of reviews on a spectrum of environmental and social issues, and a brief scan of relevant publications. The environmental and social issues discussed include:biodiversity conservation; fostering global warming solutions through energy efficiency, demand side management and renewable technologies; linking physical environmental effects to economic impacts; legal aspects of environmental management; building strategic alliance to avoid duplicating efforts in environmental work; Bank's work on pollution management and technology policy; engaging private sector into environmental investments; enhancing participatory approaches in decisionmaking; and freshwater, coastal and marine resource management. In addition, a new column called Reflection sets the context for the Bank's work in the larger global agenda drawn up in Rio's Agenda 21 in 1992.

The Papers collected in this volume are those presented at the ninth Colloquium arranged by the Societe Universitaire Europeenne de Recherches Financi{~res (SUERF), which took place at Helsing¢r, Denmark, in October 1980. The Society is supported by a large number of central banks, commercial banks, ·and other fmancial and business institutions, as well as by academics and others interested in monetary and fmancial problems. Since its establishment in 1963 it has developed as a forum for the exchange of information, research results and ideas, valued by academics and practitioners in these fields, including central bank officials and civil servants responsible for formulating and applying monetary and fmancial policies. A major activity of SUERF is to organise and conduct Colloquia on subjects of topical interest to members. The titles, places and dates of previous Colloquia for which volumes of the collected Papers were published are noted on page ii. Volumes were not issued. for Colloquia held at Tarragona, Spain in October 1970 under the title "Monetary Policy and New Developments in Banking" and at Strasbourg, France in January 1972 under the title "Aspects of European Monetary Union".

This title was first published in 2000. Priya Kurian’s research offers environmental policy scholarship a new, theoretically rich, and empirically validated approach to understanding the significance of gender to environmental policy.

The World Bank Group was a principal founding partner of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) in its pilot phase in 1991, and of the restructured GEF in 1994. The Bank plays three different roles in the GEF: (a) as trustee of the GEF and related trust funds, (b) as implementing agency, including the implementation of private-sector GEF projects by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), and (c) as the host organization of the functionally independent GEF secretariat. Focusing primarily on the role of the Bank as an implementing agency, this review documents how the partnership that the GEF and the World Bank Group established in the early 1990s has evolved over time, offers explanations for observed changes, and draws a number of lessons. The review addresses the following issues: * The mutual relevance of the World Bank Group and the GEF * Inter-organizational coordination along the World Bank Group-GEF project cycle * The introduction of the GEF’s resource allocation systems in 2006 and 2010 * The evolution and effectiveness of the Bank Group’s GEF portfolio * Catalytic approaches in the Bank Group-GEF partnership: co-financing, blending, and mainstreaming * The World Bank’s corporate activities as a GEF implementing agency. The principal purposes of this review are (a) to help improve the relevance and effectiveness of the Bank Group’s partnership with the GEF, and (b) to draw lessons for the Bank Group’s partnership with the GEF and other large global partnership programs.

Part of the Elgar Series on Central Banking and Monetary Policy, this book explores the relationship between central banking, monetary policy and the economy at large. It focuses on the specific relationship between central banking, monetary policy and the environment as central banks wake up to new realities.