International public administrations, organizational structure, and the challenges to global institutions: The case of the World Bank

The global multilateral order is under threat by protectionist and unilateralist forces. The BRICS-led creation of alternative global lending institutions to the World Bank (WB) is a case in point. The BRICS, especially China, have long been critical of the WB, and this dissatisfaction has led to the establishment of an alternative institutional lending framework. How did the WB respond to their contestation? How has the organization adapted to the rise of the new institutions? In explaining IO contestation, IR scholarship predominantly focuses on state actors. That approach fails at capturing the role played by institutional structures in fostering the organisational conditions that help avoid inertia and decline. In an effort to uncover that facet of the IO lifecycle, this article analyses the structure and bureaucracy of the WB to highlight their role in the organization’s reaction and adaptation to the BRICS-led challenges. The analysis relies on original data obtained through semi-structured interviews with WB officials, state representatives, and experts.