Overview
Today there is a preoccupation among development agencies and researchers with getting policy right; with exerting influence over policy, linking research to policy and with implementing policy around the world. But what if development practice is not driven by policy at all? Suppose that the things that make for 'good policy' - policy which legitimises and mobilises political support - in reality make it impractical and impossible to implement? By focusing in detail on the activities of a development project in tribal western India over more than ten years as it falls under different policy regimes, this book takes a close look at the relationship between policy and practice in development. David Mosse shows how the actions of development workers are shaped by the exigencies of organisations and the need to maintain relationships rather than by policy. Raising unfamiliar questions, Mosse provides a rare self-critical reflection on practice, while refusing to endorse current post-modern dismissal of development.
Full Product Details
Author: David Mosse
Publisher: Pluto Press
Imprint: Pluto Press
Dimensions:
Width: 13.50cm
, Height: 1.70cm
, Length: 21.50cm
Weight: 0.429kg
ISBN: 9780745317984
ISBN 10: 0745317987
Pages: 336
Publication Date: 20 November 2004
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Professional and scholarly
,
College/higher education
,
Professional & Vocational
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: In Print
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Reviews
'A superb book, one of those rarities that can change entire ways of thinking. David Mosse is the first social scientist in a generation who can successfuly take cutting-edge insights from academic anthropology and use them to explain practical problems in development. ... For anyone interested in development, Cultivating Development is a do-not-miss experience.' --Scott Guggenheim, Lead Social Scientist, The World Bank '[Mosse's] provocative thesis challenges the received wisdom of that world and compels us to examine afresh the politics and ethics of engaging with development. Amid the profusion of literature in this field, this book stands apart as an insider's account that is consistently critical yet steadfast in respecting its subjects. Highly recommended.' --Amita Baviskar, Visiting Professor, Department of Cultural and Social Anthropology, Stanford University
Author Information
David Mosse is Professor of Social Anthropology at SOAS, University of London. He is author of The Rule of Water (Oxford University Press, 2003), Cultivating Development (Pluto, 2004) and The Aid Effect (Pluto, 2005).
