Overview

Full Product Details

9780415640794

Table of Contents

Reviews

This is a substantial contribution to the theoretical and political debates on sustainability. Based on the author's involvement in development projects in settings as different as Brazil, Ghana, Kenya and Japan, the book convincingly shows that the construction of sustainable societies requires both fundamental transformations and pragmatic mechanisms. Key to this is human agency and participation as open ended action. I strongly recommend this reflexive and stimulating work of Kei Otsuki. Jan Douwe van der Ploeg, Wageningen University, The Netherlands Many of the failures of development can be traced to the technocratic and managerial approach that has come to dominate much of the field. Here Kei Otsuki fluently demonstrates that true development is an art and that true social transformation takes place only when participation is built into the process. This book is an essential reminder of this often forgotten fact. John Clammer, United Nations University, Japan

This is a substantial contribution to the theoretical and political debates on sustainability. Based on the author's involvement in development projects in settings as different as Brazil, Ghana, Kenya and Japan, the book convincingly shows that the construction of sustainable societies requires both fundamental transformations and pragmatic mechanisms. Key to this is human agency and participation as open ended action. I strongly recommend this reflexive and stimulating work of Kei Otsuki. Jan Douwe van der Ploeg, Wageningen University, The Netherlands Many of the failures of development can be traced to the technocratic and managerial approach that has come to dominate much of the field. Here Kei Otsuki fluently demonstrates that true development is an art and that true social transformation takes place only when participation is built into the process. This book is an essential reminder of this often forgotten fact. John Clammer, United Nations University, Japan

""This is a substantial contribution to the theoretical and political debates on sustainability. Based on the author’s involvement in development projects in settings as different as Brazil, Ghana, Kenya and Japan, the book convincingly shows that the construction of sustainable societies requires both fundamental transformations and pragmatic mechanisms. Key to this is human agency and participation as open ended action. I strongly recommend this reflexive and stimulating work of Kei Otsuki."" Jan Douwe van der Ploeg, Wageningen University, The Netherlands ""Many of the failures of development can be traced to the technocratic and managerial approach that has come to dominate much of the field. Here Kei Otsuki fluently demonstrates that true development is an art and that true social transformation takes place only when participation is built into the process. This book is an essential reminder of this often forgotten fact."" John Clammer, United Nations University, Japan

Author Information

Kei Otsuki is a sociologist and an assistant professor at Utrecht University, in the Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, the Netherlands.

Tab Content 6

Countries Available