International Financial Institutions and International Law

In spite of the obvious importance of the international financial institutions (the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank Group, and the regional development banks) to global economic developments, the development trajectories of many of their Member States, global social and environmental impacts, and economic policies, there has been little sustained attention to the ways that international law is applicable to their operations. Bradlow (international development law and African economic relations, U. of Pretoria, Soth Africa) and Hunter (international and comparative environmental law, American U. Washington College of Law, US) hope to fix that with this collection of 11 chapters that address general principles of international law as applicable to the IFIs, as well as such specific topics as the IFIs before national courts, IFI immunity, legal and political aspects of structural adjustment programs, public participation in policy making at the IFIs, legal obligations with regards to human rights, rights of indigenous peoples, workers rights, and obligations under international environmental law. Distributed in North America by Aspen Publishers, Inc. Annotation c2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)