Jim Kim and there's hope in the world

I've always been really doubtful about the World Bank's potential to do good (the conditions it puts on loans for developing countries tend to be ideological and based around its aim, as a bank, to be paid back and to stay in the black -- more than they are ever about the country's long-run economic development and poorest populations).  For example, the condition of austerity usually means the education budget gets cut.

But, now, Obama has nominated Jim Kim, co-founder of Partners in Health (alongside other co-founder and awesome person Paul Farmer), to be the new head of the World Bank---see below email for more info.  A few years ago, Obama also tried to put Paul Farmer in charge of USAID, but Farmer declined, not wanting to deal with the bureaucratic and political red tape.

If you've read Mountains Beyond Mountains or followed the news about Haiti after the earthquake, you may aslo know how awesome Partners in Heath is.  It's really a model organization.  And both Jim Kim and Paul Farmer have the best intentions...their constant mission is justice, helping the poor at all costs.  PIH, in its early days, in a Robin Hood like mission, "borrowed" medical supplies from either Harvard or Brigham and Women's Hospital (can't remember which) to take down to Haiti to treat the poor.  They also fought long and hard to get multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis on the WHO list of treatable diseases.  After they succeeded, the price of drugs plummeted, finally making it possible for the poor in developing countries to access them.

More than anything, to me, this is an example of Obama's commitment.  The World Bank has always been led by insiders -- except for the very noble Joseph Stiglitz, who was forced to resign as Chief Economist when others in the Bank frowned on his agreement with protesters them that brand of "free trade" in place today (which is really tilted towards the US and other advanced nations) and IP rights harm poor countries and keep people in poverty.  THIS appointment of Jim Kim, to me, is a demonstration that FINALLY someone is trying to do the right thing.  He's smart, he's not a US puppet, he's got his eye on the right ball - fighting poverty.

Good job, Obama.  You have my vote.