Between 1973 and 1980, the World Bank, led by Robert McNamara, became a significant actor in the push to address social welfare in developing countries. In his view, it was imperative (in light of the Cold War) for the World Bank to work with governments to eradicate absolute poverty in developing nations. Although project lending aimed at the development of infrastructure, industry, and agriculture still continued, the programs initiated during the McNamara era were directly aimed at the eradication of absolute poverty. The World Bank lent large sums to facilitate rural development, urban development, and development of small-scale industry and other critical programmes that had direct impact on the populace. Discuss
