Michael Goldman to speek on Impressions of the World Bank at St. Olaf

Michael Goldman, Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Minnesota and McKnight Presidential Fellow, has concentrated his research on the World Bank, examining it as a knowledge producer and as a major player in water issues, environmental issues, and social justice. His most recent research is on Bangalore, India, where he lived during a recent sabbatical.

Michael will speak at St. Olaf on March 17 at 7 p.m. at Buntrock Commons Ballroom. His speech is entitled "The World Bank, Poverty and Bangalore, India."

Michael is interested in the problems of mega-cities in the global south (including slums, congestion and poverty) as well as attempts to solve these problems. The World Bank and other key players have decided to address world poverty partly by focusing on cities, with the notion that cities are at the core of the poverty problem. The World Bank is attempting to use growing economic sectors such as IT to turn mega-cities into "world cities" and is lending money directly to city entities rather than to countries – an approach that could make a major difference in fighting poverty.

Michael’s current research focuses on the case of Bangalore, which has a large and growing IT sector and has been the recipient of massive loans. He also examines the troubling impact of this development approach on Bangalore’s poor, and offers a larger critique of poverty-reduction ideas, policies, and practices.