Culture, once the domain of anthropologists, has now attracted the attention of other scholars and practitioners and, in many ways, this book is a re¯ection of the continuous search for the appropriate place of culture in the post-modern age. The miraculous development of many Asian countries and the virtual stagnation (some say decline) of many economies in Africa, South America and the Paci®c Islands has required many economists, experts and practitioners to have a second look at some long-held assumptions underlying the meaning and process of development. While the objectives of the book are not explicit, it is clear that bringing into focus the phenomenon of culture in our conceptualization of development is one of its aims, and it has been accomplished successfully. The efforts made by various agencies to incorporate the issue of culture into their models of development will certainly catch the eyes of most readers of the book. The agencies and institutions considered in the book include UNESCO, FAO, UNICEF, UNDP, WHO, ILO, OECD, CIDA, USAID, OXFAM, CCHD and FINNIDA among many others.
One of the major strengths of the book is its coupling of theoretical rigour with practical suggestions. It is divided into three parts. Part One provides a background that argues for the case of culture in the current conceptualization of development. It discusses the attempts by the United Nations, governments and NGOs during the last two decades to incorporate the concept of culture into their developmental strategies and processes. While the book acknowledges the progress made in this regard, it notes that there is still a long way to go in addressing this issue.
Part Two looks at the methods and tools that can be used to analyse those cultural factors that may affect development. The book maintains that `. . . every culture includes a series of dynamic components which can work either for or against development objectives for periods and in forms that are hard to predict'. It distinguishes slow variables (e.g. traditions, beliefs, value systems) from fast variables (e.g. needs and aspirations, economic organizations). The section suggests a strategy for addressing the cultural factors and suggests priority areas in an economy where the strategy could be applied.
Part Three provides the means, methods and instruments for the proper integration of cultural factors into development. This is by far the most practical section of the book and one that practitioners will ®nd particularly useful.
Like most books, this one has its limitations. While the central focus of the book is on culture and development, the authors appear to neglect the dominance of the current world economic order on the culture and systems of developing countries. The strategy suggested by the book sometimes appears to assume that people are able to pick and choose among systems, processes and projects that ®t their culture. The dominance of the current world economic order coupled with the apparent weakness of many economies in the less developed countries ensures that many cannot pick and choose systems and developmental strategies that suit them. Analysis and explanation of economic development today has to take account of power: the ability to in¯uence and/or the ability to resist internal and external forces.
Whilst the book acknowledges that culture is dynamic, this has not been adequately re¯ected in some of its propositions and suggestions. For example, attitudes to savings and the work ethic vary across countries. Similarly, cultural and historical factors will ensure that modern organizations, structures and systems are perceived differently across societies. As a result, the suggestions about corporate strategy may have varying levels of effectiveness.