{"id":234639,"date":"2021-09-21T21:52:23","date_gmt":"2021-09-22T04:52:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chinadigitaltimes.net\/?p=234639"},"modified":"2021-09-23T14:21:42","modified_gmt":"2021-09-23T21:21:42","slug":"world-bank-business-ranking-manipulated-in-chinas-favor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chinadigitaltimes.net\/2021\/09\/world-bank-business-ranking-manipulated-in-chinas-favor\/","title":{"rendered":"World Bank Business Ranking Manipulated in China’s Favor"},"content":{"rendered":"

An <\/span>independent investigation<\/span><\/a> released by the law firm WilmerHale on September 16 found that high ranking staff members at the World Bank rigged data in the <\/span>2018<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>2020<\/span><\/a> editions of its flagship \u201cDoing Business\u201d report in order to boost China\u2019s ranking. The findings highlight <\/span>China\u2019s willingness to interfere in multilateral institutions<\/span><\/a> to advance its economic interests, and the challenge of maintaining the integrity of the current international system.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The investigation uncovered \u201cdirect and indirect pressure\u201d on staff members by the former World Bank C.E.O. Kristalina Georgieva\u2014now director of the International Monetary Fund\u2014and former World Bank President Jim Yong Kim. Operating in a \u201ctoxic culture,\u201d staff members acknowledged that the changes \u201cwere inappropriate\u201d but \u201c<\/span>expressed a fear of retaliation<\/span><\/a>\u201d by Georgieva\u2019s top aide. While Georgieva disagreed with the findings, the World Bank decided to <\/span>discontinue the upcoming \u201cDoing Business\u201d report<\/span><\/a> over \u201cethical matters, including the conduct of former Board officials as well as current and\/or former Bank staff.\u201d Jonathan Wheatley at the Financial Times described how <\/span>the bank manipulated China\u2019s score in the overall ranking<\/strong><\/a>:<\/span><\/p>\n

WilmerHale said attempts were made in the days before publication of Doing Business 2018 to raise China\u2019s ranking from 85, such as incorporating data for Hong Kong into its scores. When these efforts failed to deliver the desired results, the report alleged, Georgieva \u201cbecame directly involved\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The law firm\u2019s report, Investigation of Data Irregularities, alleged that Georgieva directed Simeon Djankov, one of the founders of Doing Business, to guide the report to publication and that Djankov subsequently \u201cworked with Doing Business management to identify changes to China\u2019s data that would raise the country\u2019s score and increase its ranking\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

It said three indicators of business conditions \u2014 starting a business, legal rights-getting credit and paying taxes \u2014 were modified, raising China\u2019s score by almost a point and increasing its ranking by seven places to 78. [<\/span>Source<\/strong><\/a>]<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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Jaw drop: World Bank leadership pressured staff to manipulate data to please the Chinese govt, going as far as changing the report's methodology, as it seeks more funding from China https:\/\/t.co\/FYXtzUEZTu<\/a> How's this even ethical as a research institution?<\/p>\n

— Maya Wang \u738b\u677e\u83b2 (@wang_maya) September 16, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n