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The Inspection Panel Early Years (An Inside Story), Eduardo G. Abbott

Perspectives

This retrospective analysis explores the establishment and evolution of the World Bank Inspection Panel, from the perspective of the Panel’s first executive secretary. The Perspective describes the initial expectations, challenges, and concerns faced by the first Panel members as they wrestled to operationalize an unprecedented institution. The Perspective documents the strategic actions the Panel took to safeguard its independence and ensure its accessibility to potential claimants. The Perspective concludes with a review of the Panel’s contemporary struggles for autonomy prompted by a restructuring of the Panel and the evolving landscape of accountability mechanisms within the World Bank Group.