The institutions that have governed the global economy since 1945 — the IMF, the World Bank, and the broader architecture of development finance — were built for a world that no longer exists. As an External Advisor to the Bretton Woods at 80 Initiative, and as former head of the UN Development Programme, Mark brings both insider knowledge and reformist conviction to questions about how these institutions must evolve.
He charts the central tension: economic systems are more globally integrated than ever, yet that integration has not prevented rising conflict, inequality, or nationalist backlash. The institutions meant to hold the line are struggling with a crisis of relevance in a multipolar world where the Global South demands a genuine voice.
Drawing on his years leading UNDP — the world’s largest multilateral development network — and his recent work examining the future of the Bretton Woods system, Mark offers both diagnosis and prescription. What would truly reformed global economic institutions look like? How do you finance development in an era of climate emergency and AI disruption? And how do you build political will for multilateral solutions at a moment when every major power is retreating inward?
His answers are those of a practitioner who has run these institutions, seen their failures up close, and still believes that with the right reforms, they remain the world’s best chance for shared prosperity.