A spat over language erupts at the World Bank

By THE DATA TEAM

A WAR of words has flared up at the World Bank. Paul Romer, its new chief economist, has been stripped of control of the research division. An internal memo claimed that the change was to bring the operations department and research arm closer together. But many think that it was because Mr Romer clashed with staff over the Bank’s writing style. He had demanded shorter, better-written reports. In the most recent spat, Mr Romer questioned the excessive use of the word “and”. He proclaimed that he would not clear a final report for publication if “and” made up more than 2.6% of the text. His tenacious approach had, it is said, rubbed some employees the wrong way.