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Overview
The authors represented in this collection argue that, far from being a liberating process for all, much of what has been done in the name of development has served to reinforce the intellectual, material, and financial dependence of those on the receiving end. Some argue that the very concept of development is essentially a vehicle in which cultural values and social norms as well as resources are exported from one part of the world to another, along a one-way route from rich to poor. Assistance Strategy for Mexico; annotated bibliography.
Editorials
From the Publisher
"...two convincing articles...are worth serious mention. One... raises the issue that development agencies inhibit genuine participatory practices. The paper framework required by the project cycle, the use of contractors and consultants, the demands for accountable performance... militate against local control. A second useful piece of research... challenges the participative imperative. [The author] analyzes the diaries of village motivators on a Rainfed Farming Project in Orissa, Bihar and Western Bengal, funded by the (then) ODA and implemented by a western India agricultural cooperative and British consultants....The diaries, kept almost daily, record the difficulties and frustration of the VM's. All the diaries mention the initial hostility, fear and confusion between them and the villagers... The study draws many conclusions, all valuable, and it should be mandatory reading for all those who believe that participation is the answer to the problems of gaining local ownership...Most projects are designed by visiting specialists. This paper...gives an insight into what happens when an unfortunate intermediary has to convince a farmer to adopt the specialist's design.""[I]ndispensable for anyone trying to move beyond platitudes about development partnerships towards a critical understanding of the power relations that underpin development practice. The annotated bibliography alone is a valuable resource, providing an astonishingly varied compilation of critical and mainstream development thinking and practice."