Can Jim Yong Kim Deliver for the World Bank? Obama Thinks So

President Obama has made a nontraditional choice for his World Bank President nomination: Jim Yong Kim. Kim, the president of Dartmouth College, seems to fit in with the ideals that most of America expects from Obama. Kim does not fit into the mold of a banker, neoconservative warlord or politician, as other nominees have. Plus, Kim has expertise in fighting conditions such as world poverty and disease, which is an understandably important requirement for this type of job.

Kim, an impressive individual by any yardstick, served as director for the HIV/Aids Department at WHO, the World Health Organization. Additionally, he co-founded, along with Paul Farmer, the global charity organization Partners in Health. Partners in Health is responsible for the dramatic decrease in tuberculosis among the people of Peru. Kim has many backers, as other dignitaries and politicians are very aware of the contributions he has made through out his life in terms of helping solve the problems of world poverty. Many were against the potential nomination of Larry Summers, the complete opposite of Kim. Summers does not have many fans, it seems, at least when it comes to running the World Bank. Trained as an Economist, many fear that Summers does not have the background or enlarged vision to successfully lead the World Bank. Some point to character references such as Summer's comment that women do not excel in math and sciences because they are fundamentally different than men and cannot compete against them for top spots.

Kim stands to bring a very different perspective to the leadership of the World Bank, one steeped in the experience of growing global organizations, and refined by the discipline of working behind a microscope.