Author: George M. Guess
Publisher: New Generation Publishing
ISBN:
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 282
Book Description
What is it like working in the field as an international aid worker? What kind of challenges and experiences might one expect? Are they the same as one would hear about in the graduate school classroom? This book chronicles the experiences of a short-term technical assistance consultant on projects in countries such as Albania, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Armenia, Myanmar, and the Dominican Republic. It expresses the frustrations, successes, and occasional fantasies of an aid worker confronted with all types of obstacles, some of his own making. Through a series of field dispatches, he describes how he started his journey in international development and where he is now. George Guess received his PhD in political science from the University of California, Riverside, and was a university professor in the US for almost twenty years. He worked for International Monetary Fund's Fiscal Affairs Department for two years while on leave from Georgia State University in Atlanta. He then became a full-time consultant on overseas public administration reform and public finance projects funded by: US Agency for International Development; Asian Development Bank; Inter-American Development Bank; World Bank; and the British Department for International Development. He lives in Budapest, Hungary, with his wife Regula.
Foreign Aid Safari
Author: George M. Guess
Publisher: New Generation Publishing
ISBN:
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 282
Book Description
What is it like working in the field as an international aid worker? What kind of challenges and experiences might one expect? Are they the same as one would hear about in the graduate school classroom? This book chronicles the experiences of a short-term technical assistance consultant on projects in countries such as Albania, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Armenia, Myanmar, and the Dominican Republic. It expresses the frustrations, successes, and occasional fantasies of an aid worker confronted with all types of obstacles, some of his own making. Through a series of field dispatches, he describes how he started his journey in international development and where he is now. George Guess received his PhD in political science from the University of California, Riverside, and was a university professor in the US for almost twenty years. He worked for International Monetary Fund's Fiscal Affairs Department for two years while on leave from Georgia State University in Atlanta. He then became a full-time consultant on overseas public administration reform and public finance projects funded by: US Agency for International Development; Asian Development Bank; Inter-American Development Bank; World Bank; and the British Department for International Development. He lives in Budapest, Hungary, with his wife Regula.
Publisher: New Generation Publishing
ISBN:
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 282
Book Description
What is it like working in the field as an international aid worker? What kind of challenges and experiences might one expect? Are they the same as one would hear about in the graduate school classroom? This book chronicles the experiences of a short-term technical assistance consultant on projects in countries such as Albania, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Armenia, Myanmar, and the Dominican Republic. It expresses the frustrations, successes, and occasional fantasies of an aid worker confronted with all types of obstacles, some of his own making. Through a series of field dispatches, he describes how he started his journey in international development and where he is now. George Guess received his PhD in political science from the University of California, Riverside, and was a university professor in the US for almost twenty years. He worked for International Monetary Fund's Fiscal Affairs Department for two years while on leave from Georgia State University in Atlanta. He then became a full-time consultant on overseas public administration reform and public finance projects funded by: US Agency for International Development; Asian Development Bank; Inter-American Development Bank; World Bank; and the British Department for International Development. He lives in Budapest, Hungary, with his wife Regula.
Dark Star Safari
Author: Paul Theroux
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN: 9780618446872
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 498
Book Description
In his first new travel book in eight years, the endearingly irascible Theroux takes readers the length of Africa by rattletrap bus, dugout canoe, cattle truck, armed convoy, ferry and train.
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN: 9780618446872
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 498
Book Description
In his first new travel book in eight years, the endearingly irascible Theroux takes readers the length of Africa by rattletrap bus, dugout canoe, cattle truck, armed convoy, ferry and train.
China Safari
Author: Serge Michel
Publisher: Bold Type Books
ISBN: 0786744685
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 337
Book Description
China has now taken Great Britain's place as Africa's third largest business partner. Where others only see chaos, the Chinese see opportunities. With no colonial past and no political preconditions, China is bringing investment and needed infrastructure to a continent that has been largely ignored by Western companies or nations. Traveling from Beijing to Khartoum, Algiers to Brazzaville, the authors tell the story of China's economic ventures in Africa. What they find is tantamount to a geopolitical earthquake: The possibility that China will help Africa direct its own fate and finally bring light to the so-called "dark continent," making it a force to be reckoned with internationally.
Publisher: Bold Type Books
ISBN: 0786744685
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 337
Book Description
China has now taken Great Britain's place as Africa's third largest business partner. Where others only see chaos, the Chinese see opportunities. With no colonial past and no political preconditions, China is bringing investment and needed infrastructure to a continent that has been largely ignored by Western companies or nations. Traveling from Beijing to Khartoum, Algiers to Brazzaville, the authors tell the story of China's economic ventures in Africa. What they find is tantamount to a geopolitical earthquake: The possibility that China will help Africa direct its own fate and finally bring light to the so-called "dark continent," making it a force to be reckoned with internationally.
Building Democracy and International Governance
Author: George M. Guess
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1351273264
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 356
Book Description
Efforts by governments to promote sustained domestic economic development have been mixed. Success depends on many factors including location, geography, climate, external competition, human resources, natural resources, timing, political and governmental institutions, government capacity, implementation, leadership, values—and maybe luck. This complexity means that while development experts can often identify ingredients for success, few can prescribe the specific mix needed by a particular state to achieve sustained development over the long term. In Building Democracy and International Governance, author George M. Guess uses both case studies and careful data analysis to argue that federalist democracy may just be the most responsive, authoritative, and flexible system for nation building, and that there is value in confronting the challenges that lie in exporting federalist democracy abroad. Guess demonstrates the ways in which federation structures provide positive redundancy against failures, flexibility to change course and implement programs and policies, and state legitimacy and strength. Examining twelve wealthy and developing countries from five regions, representing democratic and authoritarian government structures, confederations, and federations, this book will be of interest to those teaching graduate and undergraduate courses in Political Development, Democratization, Federalism, and Comparative Political Economy.
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1351273264
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 356
Book Description
Efforts by governments to promote sustained domestic economic development have been mixed. Success depends on many factors including location, geography, climate, external competition, human resources, natural resources, timing, political and governmental institutions, government capacity, implementation, leadership, values—and maybe luck. This complexity means that while development experts can often identify ingredients for success, few can prescribe the specific mix needed by a particular state to achieve sustained development over the long term. In Building Democracy and International Governance, author George M. Guess uses both case studies and careful data analysis to argue that federalist democracy may just be the most responsive, authoritative, and flexible system for nation building, and that there is value in confronting the challenges that lie in exporting federalist democracy abroad. Guess demonstrates the ways in which federation structures provide positive redundancy against failures, flexibility to change course and implement programs and policies, and state legitimacy and strength. Examining twelve wealthy and developing countries from five regions, representing democratic and authoritarian government structures, confederations, and federations, this book will be of interest to those teaching graduate and undergraduate courses in Political Development, Democratization, Federalism, and Comparative Political Economy.
The Practice of International Development
Author: Jerrold Keilson
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1351580108
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 237
Book Description
Development analysts tend to give short shrift to the seemingly minor bureaucratic hitches faced by practitioners—those who design, manage, implement, and evaluate aid projects. Often critical of foreign aid either for its apparent ineffectiveness at alleviating poverty or its purported neocolonial implications, the academic literature rarely acknowledges the experiences and pressures faced by practitioners themselves as they implement aid-funded development projects—the meetings, paperwork, negotiations, site visits, financial transactions, logistical arrangements, interviews, program activities, and beneficiary interactions—that keep projects running. And yet the impact of aid projects, and indeed the impact of development itself, often grows out of the daily activities and personal interactions of development practitioners. This unique book considers challenges from the perspective of development practitioners who confront technical, managerial, political, theoretical, and moral quandaries on a daily basis. With chapters written by expert practitioners on different aspects of design and management of international development activities, this book examines real issues and navigates the often contradictory demands of local development needs, including international donor imperatives; limited financial resources, time, information, and assurance of results; the competing pulls of administrative efficiency; and the desire to alleviate suffering. It also gives readers access to the crucial but little-heard voices of those who spend their professional lives designing and managing foreign aid projects, offering insight into what did or did not work on projects they have managed, implemented, or evaluated. These insights do not seek to identify universally right or wrong ways of doing development; instead, they highlight pros and cons associated with various approaches and decisions. This book provides valuable insights for students and others interested in a development career, encourages practitioners to engage in reflection, and persuades researchers to further consider the influence of practice on project success or failure.
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1351580108
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 237
Book Description
Development analysts tend to give short shrift to the seemingly minor bureaucratic hitches faced by practitioners—those who design, manage, implement, and evaluate aid projects. Often critical of foreign aid either for its apparent ineffectiveness at alleviating poverty or its purported neocolonial implications, the academic literature rarely acknowledges the experiences and pressures faced by practitioners themselves as they implement aid-funded development projects—the meetings, paperwork, negotiations, site visits, financial transactions, logistical arrangements, interviews, program activities, and beneficiary interactions—that keep projects running. And yet the impact of aid projects, and indeed the impact of development itself, often grows out of the daily activities and personal interactions of development practitioners. This unique book considers challenges from the perspective of development practitioners who confront technical, managerial, political, theoretical, and moral quandaries on a daily basis. With chapters written by expert practitioners on different aspects of design and management of international development activities, this book examines real issues and navigates the often contradictory demands of local development needs, including international donor imperatives; limited financial resources, time, information, and assurance of results; the competing pulls of administrative efficiency; and the desire to alleviate suffering. It also gives readers access to the crucial but little-heard voices of those who spend their professional lives designing and managing foreign aid projects, offering insight into what did or did not work on projects they have managed, implemented, or evaluated. These insights do not seek to identify universally right or wrong ways of doing development; instead, they highlight pros and cons associated with various approaches and decisions. This book provides valuable insights for students and others interested in a development career, encourages practitioners to engage in reflection, and persuades researchers to further consider the influence of practice on project success or failure.
Foreign Assistance
Author: United States. General Accounting Office
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Economic assistance, American
Languages : en
Pages : 84
Book Description
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Economic assistance, American
Languages : en
Pages : 84
Book Description
Communities and Conservation
Author: J. Peter Brosius
Publisher: Rowman Altamira
ISBN: 9780759105065
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 508
Book Description
A group of distinguished environmentalists analyze and advocate for community-based natural resource management (CBNRM). They offer an overview of this transnational movement and its links between environmental management and social justice agendas. This book will be valuable to instructors, practitioners, and activists in environmental anthropology, justice, and policy, in cultural geography, political ecology, indigenous rights, conservation biology, and community-based cultural resource management.
Publisher: Rowman Altamira
ISBN: 9780759105065
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 508
Book Description
A group of distinguished environmentalists analyze and advocate for community-based natural resource management (CBNRM). They offer an overview of this transnational movement and its links between environmental management and social justice agendas. This book will be valuable to instructors, practitioners, and activists in environmental anthropology, justice, and policy, in cultural geography, political ecology, indigenous rights, conservation biology, and community-based cultural resource management.
The Last Train to Zona Verde
Author: Paul Theroux
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN: 061883933X
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 373
Book Description
The world's most acclaimed travel writer journeys through western Africa from Cape Town to the Congo.
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN: 061883933X
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 373
Book Description
The world's most acclaimed travel writer journeys through western Africa from Cape Town to the Congo.
Hypocrisy Trap
Author: Catherine Weaver
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 1400837812
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 243
Book Description
As the preeminent international development agency for the past sixty years, the World Bank has attracted equal amounts of criticism and praise. Critics are especially quick to decry the World Bank's hypocrisy--the pervasive gaps between the organization's talk, decisions, and actions. In the wake of the Paul Wolfowitz leadership scandal in May 2006, perceptions of hypocrisy have exacted a heavy toll on the Bank's authority and fueled strong demands for wide-scale reform. Yet what exactly does the hypocrisy of the World Bank look like, and what or who causes it? In Hypocrisy Trap, Catherine Weaver explores how the characteristics of change in a complex international organization make hypocrisy difficult to resolve, especially after its exposure becomes a critical threat to the organization's legitimacy and survival. Using a rich sociological model and several years of field research, Weaver delves into the political and cultural worlds within and outside of the Bank to uncover the tensions that incite and perpetuate organized hypocrisy. She examines the sources and dynamics of hypocrisy in the critical cases of the Bank's governance and anticorruption agenda, and its recent Strategic Compact reorganization. The first book to unravel the puzzle of organized hypocrisy in relation to reform at the World Bank, Hypocrisy Trap ultimately enriches our understanding of culture, behavior, and change in international organizations. Some images inside the book are unavailable due to digital copyright restrictions.
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 1400837812
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 243
Book Description
As the preeminent international development agency for the past sixty years, the World Bank has attracted equal amounts of criticism and praise. Critics are especially quick to decry the World Bank's hypocrisy--the pervasive gaps between the organization's talk, decisions, and actions. In the wake of the Paul Wolfowitz leadership scandal in May 2006, perceptions of hypocrisy have exacted a heavy toll on the Bank's authority and fueled strong demands for wide-scale reform. Yet what exactly does the hypocrisy of the World Bank look like, and what or who causes it? In Hypocrisy Trap, Catherine Weaver explores how the characteristics of change in a complex international organization make hypocrisy difficult to resolve, especially after its exposure becomes a critical threat to the organization's legitimacy and survival. Using a rich sociological model and several years of field research, Weaver delves into the political and cultural worlds within and outside of the Bank to uncover the tensions that incite and perpetuate organized hypocrisy. She examines the sources and dynamics of hypocrisy in the critical cases of the Bank's governance and anticorruption agenda, and its recent Strategic Compact reorganization. The first book to unravel the puzzle of organized hypocrisy in relation to reform at the World Bank, Hypocrisy Trap ultimately enriches our understanding of culture, behavior, and change in international organizations. Some images inside the book are unavailable due to digital copyright restrictions.
To the Secretary: Leaked Embassy Cables and America's Foreign Policy Disconnect
Author: Mary Thompson-Jones
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 0393246590
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 291
Book Description
A former American diplomat reveals a disconnect between Washington policymakers and those who work in US embassies. When the world awoke on November 28, 2010, and read the first of the 251,287 State Department cables made public by WikiLeaks, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini warned, “It will be the September 11th of world diplomacy.” The WikiLeaks scandal certainly stirred tempers around the world, but it was not the implosion that many leaders expected: rather, it shed a new spotlight on the work of the U.S. foreign service. In To the Secretary, Mary Thompson-Jones explores the most fascinating and overlooked of these cables to offer an unparalleled window into the day-to-day work of U.S. diplomats, demystifying the lives of those who implement America’s foreign policy across the globe. From the story of Bulgaria’s Aleksi “the Tractor” Petrov to disappearing ballot ink in Ukraine, a Honduran coup d’état, or disaster relief for a devastated Haiti, To the Secretary depicts the work of ambassadors and foreign service officers through their firsthand narratives dealing with crises, corruption, and testy world leaders. Negotiating distinctly un-American customs and corridors of power, these shrewd brokers in embassies from Argentina to Zimbabwe worked tirelessly to promote American diplomacy in a world frequently hostile to the United States. To the Secretary also reveals the disconnect that diplomats face at home, guided by conflicting approaches from multiple Washington stakeholders intent on their own agenda, often unaware of realities on the ground. In an honest assessment of America’s foreign policy challenges, Thompson-Jones describes the deepening gulf between decision makers in Washington and their diplomats in the field. From misinterpreted analyses of anti-Americanism to Washington’s unwillingness to send resources to support diplomatic activities that could make a difference, To the Secretary shows what policymakers can learn from diplomats abroad—and how this can strengthen America’s place in an unstable world.
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 0393246590
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 291
Book Description
A former American diplomat reveals a disconnect between Washington policymakers and those who work in US embassies. When the world awoke on November 28, 2010, and read the first of the 251,287 State Department cables made public by WikiLeaks, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini warned, “It will be the September 11th of world diplomacy.” The WikiLeaks scandal certainly stirred tempers around the world, but it was not the implosion that many leaders expected: rather, it shed a new spotlight on the work of the U.S. foreign service. In To the Secretary, Mary Thompson-Jones explores the most fascinating and overlooked of these cables to offer an unparalleled window into the day-to-day work of U.S. diplomats, demystifying the lives of those who implement America’s foreign policy across the globe. From the story of Bulgaria’s Aleksi “the Tractor” Petrov to disappearing ballot ink in Ukraine, a Honduran coup d’état, or disaster relief for a devastated Haiti, To the Secretary depicts the work of ambassadors and foreign service officers through their firsthand narratives dealing with crises, corruption, and testy world leaders. Negotiating distinctly un-American customs and corridors of power, these shrewd brokers in embassies from Argentina to Zimbabwe worked tirelessly to promote American diplomacy in a world frequently hostile to the United States. To the Secretary also reveals the disconnect that diplomats face at home, guided by conflicting approaches from multiple Washington stakeholders intent on their own agenda, often unaware of realities on the ground. In an honest assessment of America’s foreign policy challenges, Thompson-Jones describes the deepening gulf between decision makers in Washington and their diplomats in the field. From misinterpreted analyses of anti-Americanism to Washington’s unwillingness to send resources to support diplomatic activities that could make a difference, To the Secretary shows what policymakers can learn from diplomats abroad—and how this can strengthen America’s place in an unstable world.