Development and Democracy: What Have We Learnt and How? edited by OLE ELGSTRÖM and GORAN HYDEN. (London: Routledge/ECPR Studies in Political Science, pp. 210)
✍ Scribed by Lise Rakner
- Book ID
- 102351837
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 2003
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 30 KB
- Volume
- 15
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0954-1748
- DOI
- 10.1002/jid.944
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
audience will be those involved in improving or introducing irrigation, those with an interest in userorganizations, and those active in the empowerment of the peasantry. There is also much in the book for those studying the Andean region or indigenous peoples, and some sections which would be of value to those involved with highland areas development, peasant or gender studies. The papers often concentrate on organization and organization-building and stress the desirability of having peasant and indigenous communities' rights and rationality respected and enforced.
The editors set out to critically analyze prevailing approaches and policies in the Andean region, and to understand the ' . . . normative logic of peasant and indigenous water management . . . ' (p. ix). Valuable insights are provided for those contemplating or analyzing irrigation interventions. The chapters cover a wide range of topics. General issues addressed include water rights and collective action in community irrigation, cultural politics and local resistance in highland irrigation development, water rights and watersheds-especially managing multiple water uses and strengthening stakeholder platforms. In respect of Bolivia, 'materializing rights' is explored in the context of hydraulic property in the extension and rehabilitation of two irrigation systems, while design and water rights is considered for small scale irrigation experiences in Oruro. Water rights and strengthening users' organizations-the art of negotiating and challenges for institutions assisting community irrigation-including gender dimensions of water control are examined for the Andes.
The studies on Ecuador concentrate on recipes and resistance through peasant's rights building and empowerment in the Licto irrigation system, rule-making and empowerment in the arena of conflicting normative frameworks of irrigation development in Ceceles, and re-negotiation of water rights in the ancient irrigation system of Urcuqui. The study in Northern Chile addresses local norms and competition for water in Aymara and Atacama communities.
The book hangs together well, unlike many collections of papers, and it has a number of useful black-and-white maps and photographs. Each chapter has a reasonable bibliography and there are sections providing information about each author and the contributing institutions (Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation; German Agro Action; ICCO; CENTRO AGUA; Netherlands Development Organization; IWEG-Wageningen University) at the end of the book. However, there is no index and little in the way of endnotes or footnotes to aid more general readers.
Overall, a useful addition to the literature on irrigation, organization-building and empowerment; this would be a welcome addition to university libraries and perhaps the shelves of specialists and agencies active in the Andes.