The Language of World Bank Reports: What can be gleaned from a linguistic analysis of World Bank reports? That the language – and reality – of global finance grows ever more opaque…
Franco Moretti & Dominique Pestre
Comment on écrivait il y a 50 ans:
“The Congo’s present transport system is geared mainly to the export trade, and is based on river navigation and on railroads which lead from river ports into regions producing minerals and agricultural commodities. Most of the roads radiate short distances from cities, providing farm-to-market communications. In recent years road traffic has increased rapidly with the growth of the internal market and the improvement of farming methods.”
And here is the Report from half a century later, in 2008:
“Levelling the playing field on global issues
Countries in the region are emerging as key players on issues of global concern, and the Bank’s role has been to support their efforts by partnering through innovative platforms for an enlightened dialogue and action on the ground, as well as by supporting South–South cooperation.”