Fonds - Personal Papers of John Nellis

Soviet Union - September/October 1990 mission notes transcribed Soviet Union - Presentation to President Conable - Soviet Economic Study: Enterprise Privatizatio... Soviet Union - Mission notes Soviet Union - September/October 1990 mission summary

Identity area

Reference code

WB IBRD/IDA WB_IBRD/IDA_115

Title

Personal Papers of John Nellis

Date(s)

  • 1990 - 1992, 1995 (Creation)

Level of description

Fonds

Extent and medium

0.20 linear feet of textual records

Context area

Name of creator

Biographical history

An American national born in 1938, John Nellis received his B.A. (1960), M.A. (1964), and Ph.D. (1968) in Political Economy from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University. Prior to joining the World Bank, Nellis held teaching and research positions at a number of academic institutions, including the University of Nairobi (as a Fellow of the Institute for Development Studies), Carleton University (as professor of international affairs), and the Maxwell School at Syracuse University (as professor of Development Planning and Public Administration). He also served as the representative of the Ford Foundation in North Africa during which time he conducted research and administered aid programs.

Nellis was employed by the World Bank between 1984 and 2000 during which time he dealt with a variety of development topics and sectors, including privatization, public enterprise reform, market transitioning, and governance and public-sector management issues. Upon joining the Bank in 1984, he was named Management Specialist in the Public Management Unit (PPDPS) of the Projects Policy Department (PPD). The PPDPS, then just a year old, was responsible for advising and developing strategies for improving the management of governments and government-controlled enterprises.

As part of a 1987 Bank-wide reorganization, the PPD was terminated and the functions and staff of the PPDPS were transferred to the newly established Public Sector Management and Private Sector Development Division (CECPS) located in the Country Economics Department (CEC) of the Development Economics Vice Presidency (DEC). Nellis transitioned to CECPS, as well, and was soon after named Principal Management Specialist. CECPS specifically focused on private sector development activities such as assisting in the privatization of state-enterprises, performing private sector assessments, and improving the relations between the public and private sector through regulatory reform.

A Bank-wide reorganization in 1993 resulted in the termination of CECPS. Much of its staff and functional responsibility was transferred to the Private Sector Department (PSD). Nellis was one of those transferred to PSD where he was made Manager and then, in 1994, Senior Manager. PSD did not contain internal divisions until 1997. At this point Nellis was named Senior Manager of the Department's Enterprise Group (PSDEN) which focused on country enterprise reform and privatization. His final position at the Bank was director of the PSD. Nellis officially left the Bank in 2000.

Following his official departure from the Bank Nellis became a Principal in the research and consulting firm International Analytics. In this capacity he returned to the Bank regularly as a consultant in various regional and sectoral units. He also consulted for: the International Monetary Fund (IMF); the British Department for International Development; the Development Assistance Committee of the OECD; the Asian Development Bank; Transparency International; the Egyptian Centre for Economic Studies; the Government of Bolivia; the Government of Serbia; the Government of Tanzania; and the International Institute. He also served as a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Center for Global Development (CGD).

Archival history

Immediate source of acquisition or transfer

Donated to the World Bank Group Archives by John Nellis in 2016.

Content and structure area

Scope and content

This fonds contains records related to John Nellis's work in the Public Sector Management and Private Sector Development Division (CECPS) located in the Country Economics Department (CEC) of the Development Economics Vice Presidency (DEC). The majority of the records relate to Nellis's participation in mission travel to the Soviet Union in 1990 and Russia in 1991 and 1992.

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling

Accruals

System of arrangement

Conditions of access and use area

Conditions governing access

Records are subject to the World Bank Policy on Access to Information.

Conditions governing reproduction

Records are subject to the Copyright Policy of the World Bank Group.

Language of material

  • English

Script of material

Language and script notes

Physical characteristics and technical requirements

Finding aids

Allied materials area

Existence and location of originals

Existence and location of copies

Related units of description

  • See Records of the Public Sector Management and Governance Sector (WB IBRD/IDA WB_IBRD/IDA_101).

  • See Records of the Office of the Chief Economist (WB IBRD/IDA DEC) for records relating to the Country Economics Department (CEC).

  • See Records of the Europe and Central Asia Regional Vice Presidency (WB IBRD/IDA ECA) for records related to country and economic work, technical assistance, and project lending to Russia and other Eastern European countries including former Soviet republics.

  • See Records of Private Sector Development Sector (WB IBRD/IDA WB_IBRD/IDA_100).

  • See Records of the Public Sector Management and Governance Sector (WB IBRD/IDA WB_IBRD/IDA_101).

  • See records of Vice Presidencies and networks that the Private Sector Department reported to during Nellis's time in the department (1993-2000): Records of the Finance and Private Sector Department Vice Presidency (WB IBRD/IDA WB_IBRD/IDA_102); Records of the Finance, Private Sector Development, and Infrastructure Network (WB IBRD/IDA WB_IBRD/IDA_103); and Records of the Private Sector Development and Infrastructure Vice Presidency (WB IBRD/IDA WB_IBRD/IDA_107).

  • See oral history by Geoffrey Lamb

Related descriptions

Notes area

Alternative identifier(s)

Access points

Subject access points

Place access points

Name access points

Genre access points

Description control area

Description identifier

Institution identifier

Rules and/or conventions used

Internal World Bank Group Archives rules based on ISAD(G).

Disclosure status

Level of detail

Dates of creation revision deletion

9 February 2017

Language(s)

Script(s)

Sources

Accession area