Jim Yong Kim
Jim Yong Kim laughing during a Dartmouth Commencement speech where Conan O’Brien pokes fun at his resume. Via Dartmouth Flickr.
Nominated by the US, Kim is currently president of Dartmouth College and has a history of working on large-scale projects that bring cheaper and better health care to the masses. A surprise nomination when it was thought the only two possible US nominations were Dr. Larry Summers or US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Kim has drawn both praise for his unusual background and ire from critics worried he isn’t strong enough in economics.
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
Ngozi at the World Bank/IMF Spring Meetings. Via World Bank Photo Collection.
Now in her second stint as Nigeria’s Finance Minister, Ngozi’s work in Nigeria focused on weeding out corruption and encouraging transparency. During her career she has also been a managing director at the World Bank, which some count as a plus because it gives her familiarity with the institution. The Guardian called her an “iron lady” and has an excellent summary of her past history here. The New York Times has also published an interview with her where she summarizes the changes she’d make to the World Bank as president, including encouraging job growth and making the Bank a faster moving institution overall.
José Antonio Ocampo
Ocampo deep in thought, via Telegraph.
Making the nominations at the last minute, Ocampo formerly worked as the Finance Minister of Colombia and is now a professor at Columbia University. The Financial Times praised him as “a policy-maker and diplomat; he works well with the US and developing countries alike; and he is one of the leading academic economists in the field of development.” In “What Should the World Bank Do?”, Ocampo outlines his strategy for the World Bank’s future, which would evaluate market, state, and societal needs as well as put an emphasis on the environment and gender equality.
The three candidates will be interviewed by the World Bank Board of Directors this month, kicking off with Ocampo’s interview on April 9th. The official announcement will be made on April 16th, right before the Spring Meetings, though some rumors have the announcement as early as the 11th, the same day as Kim’s interview.