Banking on Knowledge is one of the first studies of how the World Bank is reinventing itself as the 'Knowledge Bank'. The book addresses how international organizations and governments are developing partnerships with think tanks, research institutes and other knowledge institutions in the hope of informing and improving policies for reform and development around the world.
The book focuses on the recently established Global Development Network (GDN). The GDN is a new and ambitious initiative, sponsored by the World Bank, which is possibly the largest worldwide non-governmental enterprise aimed at producing knowledge as a public good on a global scale. Timely, original and provocative, this book is essential reading for students, researchers, policy makers and professionals with an interest in the future of the World Bank, the strategies of think tanks and the changing nature of development.

Part 1: The GND and Knowledge for Development 1. The Genesis of the GND 2. Scan Globally, Reinvent Locally: Knowledge infrastructure and the localization of Kkowledge 3. The Instrumentalization of Development Knowledge Part 2: Civil Society Engagement 4. Think Tanks in Independent Belarus: Catalysts for social transformations 5. New Partnerships in Research: Activists and think tanks: An illustration from the NCAER in New Delhi 6. Building Productive Partnerships for the Promotion of Reforms: The APOYO Institute in Peru Part 3: Reform and Reconstruction 7. The Challenges of Intervention for a Cambodian Think Tank 8. Post-Communist Think Tanks: Making and Faking Influence9. Influencing Government Policy Making Part 4: Knowledge Across Borders 10. Southeast Asian Research Institutes and Regional Economic Cooperation 11. Globalization, Think Tanks, and Policy Transfer 12. Think Tanks and the Ecology of Policy Inquiry 13. Conclusion: Knowledge, power and policy