Fernanda G Nicola

The 2025 spring meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund takes place in Washington, D.C. Bryan Dozier/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

From Doing Business to B‑READY: World Bank’s new rankings represent a rebrand, not a revamp

The World Bank has long sought to replace it’s annual index that fell to scandal in 2021. But a new replacement repeats some of the flaws.
The World Bank’s ease of doing business index incentives countries to do whatever they can to improve their ranking. Jongho Shin/iStock via Getty Images

Scandal involving World Bank’s ‘Doing Business’ index exposes problems in using sportslike rankings to guide development goals

Allegations that World Bank officials manipulated country rankings in its much-used ease of doing business index highlight a deeper problem with these types of rankings.

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