2006年VOA标准英语-World Bank Under Wolfowitz Steps Up Fight Again

By Barry Wood
Washington
26 July 2006
 
The World Bank, based in Washington and owned by its 184 member governments, spends about $20 billion a year to promote economic development in poor countries. The Bank in recent years has stepped up its efforts to combat corruption² to make sure that its money is used properly.

----------

Since becoming president of the World Bank in March 2005, Paul Wolfowitz has made the fight against corruption a major priority. Calling it the single biggest obstacle to development, Wolfowitz has suspended or delayed loans to Chad, Bangladesh, and India, when corrupt¹ activities were uncovered. Wolfowitz also commissioned a far-reaching study on the effects of corruption.

"The report argues also compellingly, that the best check against corruption is to strengthen governance systems supported by regular monitoring," he said. "Simply uttering the word corruption drives headlines but the real issue that we are addressing at the World Bank Group is how to promote good governance and accountability."

It wasn't always this way. As recently as the 1990s, the Bank was accused of turning a blind eye to corruption. It lent billions to the corrupt government of Mobutu Sese Seko in what was then called Zaire and is now known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In Mozambique, the Bank's advocacy of privatization of state-owned enterprises was linked to a financial scandal that culminated³ in the murder of a respected journalist and bank examiner in the year 2000. Economist⁴ and university lecturer Joe Hanlon has written extensively about the World Bank and Mozambique.

"I've argued for some time that the donors⁵ are complicit in the corruption, and, in fact, they supported corruption in Mozambique," he said. "So when the World Bank forced the local banks to give loans to privatized companies that the local banks said would never be repaid, the World Bank said, 'we want you to give the loans anyway to support privatization.'"

Mozambique, like many countries in Africa, has a huge corruption problem that is accentuated⁶ by single party dominance, a lack of checks and balances within the government, limited rule of law, and linkages⁷ between corruption and organized crime.

Wolfowitz, who this month has been in Africa reviewing development projects, says a free press is vital to combating corruption.

"I think when people try to say there is a sharp differentiation⁸ between economic development and political development, they ignore such things as the fact that, when you have a free press, you have a check on corruption that isn't there when it is muzzled⁹ and controlled," he said.

Critics of the World Bank say Wolfowitz's anti-corruption campaign doesn't go far enough. A coalition¹⁰ of environmental, human rights and leftist political groups want corporations linked to corruption banned from World Bank projects. They say some bank projects like the Chad-Cameroon oil pipeline¹¹ continue to be riddled¹² with corruption.

But many observers say the World Bank has put real teeth into the anti-corruption effort. It has established an office of institutional integrity and sent anti-corruption teams to countries that are recipients¹³ of Bank's loans. It has promised to blacklist firms that engage in corruption. World Bank chief economist Francois Bourguignon says there are good reasons for waging a long-term fight against corruption.

"The crime of corruption is knowing that it destroys incentives¹⁴ for any kind of [constructive] activity," he said. "If you know that when you undertake a profitable activity, then somebody will come and expropriate part of your gain, then the profitability is being reduced."

Wolfowitz says the anti-corruption campaign promotes economic development. It is, he says, about making sure that the Bank's resources go to the poor and don't end up in the wrong pockets.

1 corrupt   

v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的

参考例句：

• The newspaper alleged the mayor's corrupt practices.那家报纸断言市长有舞弊行为。
• This judge is corrupt.这个法官贪污。

2 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

3 culminated   

v.达到极点( culminate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• a gun battle which culminated in the death of two police officers 一场造成两名警察死亡的枪战
• The gala culminated in a firework display. 晚会以大放烟火告终。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

5 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 accentuated   

v.重读( accentuate的过去式和过去分词 )；使突出；使恶化；加重音符号于

参考例句：

• The problem is accentuated by a shortage of water and electricity. 缺乏水电使问题愈加严重。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Her black hair accentuated the delicateness of her skin. 她那乌黑的头发更衬托出她洁嫩的皮肤。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

7 linkages   

n.连接( linkage的名词复数 )；结合；联系；联动装置

参考例句：

• Only the thermosetting resins provide a strong cohesive forces; this is due to molecular cross linkages. 只有热固性树脂具有巨大的凝聚力，这是由于分子交错链所造成的。 来自辞典例句
• The linkages between the stable units must be as near as possible of equal stability. 稳定链节之间的键必须有尽可能接近的稳定性。 来自辞典例句

8 differentiation   

n.区别，区分

参考例句：

• There can be no differentiation without contrast. 有比较才有差别。
• The operation that is the inverse of differentiation is called integration. 与微分相反的运算叫做积分。

9 muzzled   

给（狗等）戴口套( muzzle的过去式和过去分词 )； 使缄默，钳制…言论

参考例句：

• The newspapers were effectively muzzled by strict censorship laws. 严厉的新闻审查法有效地使那些报纸沉默了下来。
• Whenever in the street our dog is muzzled. 每当上街时，我们的狗总是戴上嘴套。

10 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

11 pipeline   

n.管道，管线

参考例句：

• The pipeline supplies Jordan with 15 per cent of its crude oil.该管道供给约旦15%的原油。
• A single pipeline serves all the houses with water.一条单管路给所有的房子供水。

12 riddled   

adj.布满的；充斥的；泛滥的v.解谜，出谜题(riddle的过去分词形式)

参考例句：

• The beams are riddled with woodworm. 这些木梁被蛀虫蛀得都是洞。
• The bodies of the hostages were found riddled with bullets. 在人质的尸体上发现了很多弹孔。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 recipients   

adj.接受的；受领的；容纳的；愿意接受的n.收件人；接受者；受领者；接受器

参考例句：

• The recipients of the prizes had their names printed in the paper. 获奖者的姓名登在报上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The recipients of prizes had their names printed in the paper. 获奖者名单登在报上。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

14 incentives   

激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 )； 刺激； 诱因； 动机

参考例句：

• tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
• Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者，提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法