The United States and the Asian Development Bank

Abstract

This article deals with a largely unexplored topic related to the economics of American support for the idea of regional cooperation in Southeast Asia in general and the Asian Development Bank in particular. The findings suggest that American involvement in spearheading the formation of the Bank and shaping its organizational structure and lending philosophy was motivated by a desire to expand American economic influence in the region and to use that influence to further its economic and political interests in the region.