Kim breaks mold of World Bank leaders from finance, bureaucracy

That may be a strength and a weakness, according to Uri Dadush, director of international economics at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington and a former World Bank director of economic policy, Bloomberg reports.

Jim Yong Kim

"This is a very smart man and has many of the characteristics that you would look for in a World Bank president," said Dadush. "He's going to have a major challenge to overcome a characterization as being too focused on the health and education agenda and to develop a deep understanding of the broader development agenda of the bank."

Kim lacks experience in boosting economic growth, a key part of the bank's mission, Dadush said. At the same time, his expertise in HIV/AIDS may help the bank improve its health assistance, while his South Korean roots allow him to build bridges with developing nations, said Kevin Gallagher , an associate professor of international relations at Boston University.

Kim, 52, was nominated yesterday by President Barack Obama to succeed Robert Zoellick, a former U.S. trade representative whose five-year term ends in June. The U.S. is the biggest shareholder in the Washington-based bank, which has always been led by an American.

Development Professional

"It's time for a development professional to lead the world's largest development agency," Obama said yesterday at a White House presentation with Kim at his side. "Jim has spent more than two decades working to improve conditions in developing countries around the world."

Past World Bank presidents have included Robert McNamara, who served as secretary of defense during the Vietnam war , and Paul Wolfowitz, a former deputy secretary of defense in the administration of George W. Bush . Wolfowitz resigned under pressure in 2007 after giving his companion an unusually large pay raise and promotion.

The Obama administration has "made a very astute move by shifting gears -- quite radically," said Ngaire Woods, dean of the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford. "Instead of selecting a Washington insider or a Wall Street favorite, they've selected someone with strong credibility at the technical level, as a health and research professional, as well as in development."

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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-03-24/kim-breaks-mold-of-world-bank-leaders-from-finance-bureaucracy.html