In the spring the World Bank was coming apart at the seams and in need of some emergency repairs. But its new president, Robert Zoellick, has higher ambitions than that. He enters his first annual meeting of the institution, which kicks off on October 20th, keen to knit the bank's jumbled parts into a coherent whole. First, the repairs. Mr Zoellick inherited an unhappy staff. They had openly revolted against his predecessor, Paul Wolfowitz, who was accused of favouritism towards his girlfriend, a bank employee. Staff grievances were also aimed at a handful of Mr Wolfowitz's allies and appointees. A quick lustration might have followed the handover of power. But Mr Zoellick has tried to deal with disgruntle-ment by hiring insiders rather than firing misfits. His new chief of staff, Caroline Anstey, joined the bank more than ten years ago. He has picked a third managing director, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who is returning after a brave term as a reforming finance minister of Nigeria.
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