All Blog Posts
Member blogs include thematic articles of 600-800 words on books or research by members, or human interest stories by members. To submit a thematic blog write to the relevant TG chair; for human interest blogs write to 1818society@wbgalumni.org, with “Blog Proposal” in the subject line.
| Title | Author | Publication Date | Content | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A Historic Momentum for Gender Equality at the World Bank Group — How WBG Alumni Can Contribute | Hana Brixi and Jesko Hentschel* | Jan 26, 2026 | The World Bank Group (WBG) has built historic momentum in advancing gender equality. How can we, as WBG alumni, contribute to sustaining and strengthening this momentum? Historic ambition The WBG... | Read More |
| “Sudiste” by Marc Juhel – book review | Maryvonne Plessis-Fraissard* | Jan 19, 2026 | This book is in French. The book review is posted in English and French. English Translation Marc Juhel is a poker faced lecturer who doesn't mince his words. He dissects... | Read More |
| HMS Unicorn, Scotland | Christine (Masters) Purdy* | Jan 10, 2026 | My fourteen years with the World Bank during the 1970s and 1980s, including a three-year posting in the Yemen Arab Republic, marked the beginning of a career that exposed me... | Read More |
| “Coming Down From the Mountain”, by Mahmood Ali Ayub* – a book review | Richard Cambridge | Jan 9, 2026 | My experience of living in a British colony made me read Mahmood Ali Ayub’s 2025 book “Coming Down from the Mountain: An Autobiography” with special interest and understanding. It allowed... | Read More |
| The World Bank Needs To Use Its Expertise at This Time of Enormous Humanitarian Crisis* | Frank Vogl** | Dec 22, 2025 | The operational work of the World Bank Group over many decades has largely concentrated on supporting medium- to long-term development projects. It is not in the business of emergency humanitarian... | Read More |
| “From Grief to Love. Walking Around England and Wales” by Laurence Carter – book review | Richard Cambridge | Dec 19, 2025 | I was deeply moved. No one ever expects or is prepared to hear a dearly loved one tell you on the phone, thousands of miles away, that they had only... | Read More |
| The Bank’s Post-Conflict Re-engagement in Cambodia | Christopher Redfern* | Dec 15, 2025 | Following the Paris Peace Accords signed in October 1991 the UN oversaw the formal ending of Cambodia’s civil war and its international isolation under an ambitious peacebuilding process known as... | Read More |
| “A Sephardi Turkish Patriot: Gad Franco in the Turmoil of the Ottoman Empire and the Turkish Republic”, by Anthony Gad Bigio* — book review | Ellen Goldstein** | Dec 10, 2025 | Anthony “Tony” Gad Bigio has written a spellbinding book, "A Sephardi Turkish Patriot". What began as a simple family history project, ended with a book that weaves the life story... | Read More |
| “Coming Down From The Mountain”, by Mahmood Ali Ayub* – book review | Maryvonne Plessis-Fraissard** | Nov 27, 2025 | Coming Down From The Mountain is a delightful autobiography by Mahmood Ali Ayub. “There are few gifts greater than sharing the story of one’s life”. With these words, Mahmood invites... | Read More |
| Combatting the Dementia Threat-A Personal View | Hernan Levy | Nov 24, 2025 | Motivation I was inspired by Nevin Turk’s blog about his life transition into becoming a certified acupuncturist and finding great fulfillment in his work. My story is on another kind... | Read More |
| Eat, Sleep, Ride: Setting an Around-the-World Cycling Record | Christopher R. Bennett* | Nov 12, 2025 | [caption id="attachment_24117" align="alignright" width="388"] France: cyclist's paradise[/caption] On 8 September 2025 before 5 am I arrived at Helsinki airport after riding my bicycle 29,101 km in under 130 days. I... | Read More |
| 25 Years at the Cape of Good Hope | Karl G. Jechoutek* | Nov 7, 2025 | Having retired from the Bank in 2000, it is time to reflect on the quarter century that I have spent in Cape Town since retirement, albeit only half of each... | Read More |
| The New China. Its People: Vignettes from My Thirty Years on the Ground-Part 3 | Hernan Levy | Oct 13, 2025 | Here, I present two sides—based on personal experience and research—of eating in China and, conversely, Chinese eating in Washington. My focus is on delicatessen in both places and how my... | Read More |
| Where Am I? | Huda Kraske | Oct 10, 2025 | At the invitation of Gjergj Konda, Former Minister and Deputy Minister of Economy, and his wife Laura, my daughter and I visited Albania in early September 2025. We arrived at... | Read More |
| Great Champagnes of France – Di Vine and Dine Experiences: September 4-12, 2025 | Morallina George | Sep 25, 2025 | Fifteen of us – wine and champagne lovers – traveled through the “Champagne region” situated in the North-East of France in and around Reims. We were gently introduced to the... | Read More |
| 1818 Society Cultural Tour: Secret Tuscany August 30-September 6, 2025 | Lester Dally and Eduardo Somensatto | Sep 24, 2025 | We would like to share with you the extraordinary experience we had during a recent 1818 Society tour to Tuscany. Many of us have traveled to Italy often and Tuscany... | Read More |
| Strong vs. Weak Dollar: The Dilemma of U.S. Currency Policy | Istvan Dobozi* | Jul 29, 2025 | Washington appears conflicted over the role of the dollar. On one hand, the administration champions a strong dollar as a symbol of American global leadership and the bedrock of the... | Read More |
| The New China, Its People: Vignettes from my 30 Years on the Ground – Part 2 | Hernan Levy | Jul 11, 2025 | In Part 1, I described my work with the World Bank Institute (WBI) from 1983 to 1990, organizing seminars and teaching senior transport officials. Part 2 covers my time with... | Read More |
| At Last a Handbook on Public Debt Management | Marcelo Giugale* | May 22, 2025 | Name any emerging or developing country and chances are that it is, has at some point been, or will soon be under debt “distress”—read, unable to pay back what it... | Read More |
| The New China, its people. My experience 30 years on the ground. Vignettes. Part 1 | Hernan Levy | Apr 27, 2025 | My World Bank experience working on China is unique: first, I started working on China in 1983, barely two years after the Bank commenced operations there, second, I worked on... | Read More |