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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inequality, Institutions, and the Stories that Shape Reform in South Africa | Louise Cord* | Mar 6, 2026 | South Africa’s inequality is often described in economic terms. But its persistence is political. Despite expanded redistribution and social spending, inequality remains among the highest in the world. The durability... | Read More |
| “Hong Cheng: Memoirs of a Turbulent Life through Rose-Tinted Dust Storm”, by Pu-Chin Hseuh Waide – book review | Xiao Ye | Mar 6, 2026 | “Hong Cheng” is a labor of love between a father, Hsueh Chi Pei (Chi Pei from now on), and his daughter. The father shared his life stories from China during... | Read More |
| Sri Lankan Adventure | Jill Martin and Mark Dorfman | Mar 2, 2026 | The ten of us held our breaths as our bus approached the submerged causeway lining the edge of the lake; water rushed over the road in a torrent. Our driver... | Read More |
| The World Bank Doesn’t Need to Generate More Knowledge. It Needs to Want It. | Shanta Devarajan and Eeshani Kandpal* | Mar 2, 2026 | At least since former World Bank President Jim Wolfensohn coined the phrase “knowledge bank,” there have been periodic efforts to strengthen evidence-based policymaking at the World Bank. They have focused... | Read More |
| “DAMNED IF YOU DO—foreign aid and my struggle to do right in Myanmar” by Ellen Goldstein* – book review | David Craig** | Feb 17, 2026 | In 2023, our 1818 colleague, Ellen Goldstein, published “DAMNED IF YOU DO—foreign aid and my struggle to do right in Myanmar” dedicated to “…the many courageous people fighting for human... | Read More |
| “Rhythms of Resistance. Guyana’s Indentured Legacy”, by Abdun Noor – a book review | Richard Cambridge | Feb 16, 2026 | Guyana is a nations of six ethnicities, the European (English, Dutch) who owned the plantations, the African slave, the Indian, Chinese and Portuguese indentured servants, and the Indigenous people who... | Read More |
| Immortalised to Death, and Fatally Inferior (2 of 3 books in the Dunston Burnett Trilogy) by Lyn Squire — book review | Anis Dani | Feb 9, 2026 | One of the first books that caught my eye when we started the Book Repository in July 2024 was the first novel in Lyn Squire's trilogy. At that time I... | Read More |
| “Footloose: Ramblings of Itchy Feet”, by David Craig* – book review | Richard Cambridge | Jan 29, 2026 | I am always happy to read books written by former colleagues. David Craig has produced an unexpected, entertaining, but “complex” autobiography. His “FOOTLOOSE. Ramblings of Itchy Feet” is organized into... | Read More |
| 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* – 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 | On 8 September 2025 before 5 am I arrived at Helsinki airport after riding my bicycle 29,101 km in under 130 days. I was awarded the Guinness World Record as... | 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 |