The Political Economy of Poverty, Equity and Growth: A Comparative Study. By Deepak Lal and H. Myint. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1996. Pp. xviii + 458. £45. ISBN 0 19 828863 8 Liberation Ecologies: Environment, Development, Social Movements. Edited by Richard Peet and Michael Watts. London and...

United States Development Assistance Policy: The Domestic Politics of Foreign Economic Aid. By Vernon W. Ruttan. Baltimore, MD and London: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996. Pp.xxiv + 657. £54. ISBN 0 8018 5051 7 India: Economic Development and Social Opportunity. By Jean Dreze and...

The History of Development: From Western Origins to Global Faith. By Gilbert Rist. London: Zed Books, 1997. Pp.vi + 276. £42.50/$65 and £14.95/$25. ISBN 1 85649 491 8 and 492 6 Grassroots Post-Modernism: Remaking the Soil of Cultures. By Gustavo Esteva and Madhu Suri Prakash. London: Zed...

The positive roles that political parties might play in development have recently been downplayed in favour of accounts of the virtues of civil society and participatory development. This article challenges some assumptions inherent in this shift in emphasis. It considers how political society...

This paper uses the experience of a recent programme of action research in Eastern India to reflect on the use of participatory ideals within governance reform. In a situation where there are profound difficulties in local governance, it assesses the potential for participatory forms of...