With Paul Wolfowitz heading for the exit door, the questions continue about whether the world bank will recover. This institution has been rocked by battles over Wolfowitz's management style, his choice of advisers and the bank's role in Iraq. Then there were the issues the Europeans had providing additional funds to the bank's loan program while Wolfowitz was still in charge.

"Any institution that goes through a process like this is damaged," said former Assistant Treasury Secretary Edwin Truman.

And as Steve Schifferes, BBC News economics reporter points out , the Wolfowitz affair raises questions about the way the organisation is run.

Under the normal convention, the US government has always nominated the head of the World Bank and the Europeans have always nominated the chief of the IMF. Now that's being questioned. Also, there's debate over whether it's time to change the way power is distributed on the board. Up until now, the number of votes are determined by the size of a country's economy. Now questions are being asked whether that should be overhauled and whether developing countries should be given more of a say. Can't see the Europeans or the Americans agreeing to that, but the question's out there.

Not surprisingly, the White House has announced that
it will move quickly to find a replacement, preferably an American. Obviously, the powers that be want to hold on to the status quo and keep things on a "business as usual" approach.

But questions are being asked whether it can be "business as usual". Transparency International has put out a statement saying that the World Bank needs to get its ethical standards in order:

"The World Bank's anti-corruption work is in paralysis, and the crisis will not end simply because Paul Wolfowitz has gone. His departure must be followed by an intensified effort to integrate the fight against corruption across the breadth of the Bank's work. There can be no return to "business as usual" simply because the immediate leadership question has been resolved."

Meanwhile inside the World Bank, staff are looking on in amazement.

The guerilla website set up by World Bank during the scandal, takes issue with the way Wolfowitz has handled his departure, including his claim that he wants to hand everything over to managers, wash his hands clean and then embark on a farewell tour of Africa.

And the other website, worldbankpresident.org, has a scathing analysis of the board's announcement that Wolfowitz was moving on.