The departure of Paul Wolfowitz is a sad moment. It was necessary, indeed inevitable, once revelations about his role in securing a generous settlement for his girlfriend emerged. But it is sad both personally and for the institution. It is now necessary to learn lessons and look forward. The World Bank will never be the same again. Indeed, it must not be the same again.

Perhaps the most important lesson is that foisting a boss on the bank who has the backing of just one person, even if the latter is the most powerful in the world, does not give him enough legitimacy to run the institution effectively. That was evident even before the scandal showed that the incumbent held no credit in the bank of global support.