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Contributions from
the Column
Media
Howard W. French: Africa’s troubles and global attention
Mahmood Mamdani: US-caused terrorism
M.C. Behera (Ed.): Rural development misses out
Harald Müller and Niklas Schörnig: Armaments and their limitation
02/2007 |
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Neglected rural areas
M.C. Behera (Ed.):
Globalising rural development.
Competing paradigms and emerging realities.
Sage Publications India, New Delhi 2006, 468 p.,
$13.00, ISBN 0-761-93479-0
This book examines rural-development’s basics and concepts, as widely endorsed and practised since the 1950s. In particular, it discusses what impact globalisation has on these notions. Most contributors to the volume support the view that rural-development strategies are essentially defined in urban centres of policy-making. In their opinion, the result is that rural-development programmes hardly pay attention to the actual and divers needs of the people and regions affected.
The 17 essays in the book tackle four main topics. The first section examines the links between rural development and globalisation. In an expansive but somewhat academic analysis, the editor emphasises the ideological biases of rural-development concepts, showing that these largely fail to take into account the complexities of rural reality.
The second section deals with the relevant actors – the state and NGOs on the one hand, and the rural population and its sub-groups such as women or indigenous people on the other. Case studies from Nigeria and Thailand back up the argument that all too often, development-programmes are not suitably designed and remain ineffective.
In contrast to top-down approaches, the books third section looks at a range of so-called “endogenous” concepts and strategies, presenting case studies from Africa and Asia, as well as from East Germany and Eastern European transition countries. The authors explore the extent to which these approaches are sustainable. In his essay on sustainable livelihoods in South Asia, Binayak Rajbhandari suggests promoting rural-development policy at the micro-level .
The fourth section is devoted to the effects of globalisation and rural development on matters such as public participation, poverty reduction, food security and empowerment of women. It outlines examples of negative impacts. For instance, in one rural area of Kenya, increased business competition and the changing role of women triggered more domestic violence. The section also emphasises positive experiences with poverty reduction strategies, in India for example, and makes suggestions as to how these can be reinforced.
The book is based on a multidisciplinary approach and a comprehensive understanding of development. This forte, combined with an abundance of empirical data, makes it useful and inspiring reading for anyone personally involved or perhaps merely interested in development issues.
Manfred Metz
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