Description: Critiques the very essence of development policy, especially the complex relationship between policy and practice and role of participation.
Brief description: 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).
Review Quotes:
"A superb book, one of those rarities that can change entire ways of thinking" - Scott Guggenheim, Lead Social Scientist, The World Bank
"Strongly argued, vividly illustrated and fluently written. Highly recommended" - Amita Baviskar, Visiting Professor, Department of Cultural and Social Anthropology, Stanford University
"Any development professional will find scenarios that are recognisable here. As the many entry points slowly build up into a rich and thick description of the project' world, it becomes clear that this candid depiction forces us to engage with candid questions especially about the book's two principal concepts: practice and policy" - Ingie Hovland, Development Policy Review
"A brave and crucial work which dismantles the accepted orthodoxies about the making of development by development agencies. Everyone with an interest in development - whether practitioner or critic - should read this book" - Dinah Rajak, Development in Practice