Mortgaging the Earth

Bruce Rich has given those of us interested in the politics of development much to think about. His well-researched, thought-provoking analysis of the World Bank, while scrupulously fair, is scathing. From EGAT in Thailand, through Polonoroeste in Brazil, to the Narmada Dams in India, he paints a picture of an institution that is out of control and which bears at least partial responsibility for much human suffering and environmental devastation. While the World Bank would have us believe that it is on the cutting edge of responsible development and is assisting the entire Third World in its struggle to develop, Rich shows us some of the consequences of the philosophy that development is good, no matter what its human and environmental costs.I use this book as a primary text in a college-level introductory comparative politics course dealing with the Third World. My students have been shocked by this book into some original thought about the conceptions underlying development strategies, and, I think, have emerged from this course with minds that are more open to challenging the conventional wisdom regarding the politics of development. For that, if nothing else, Rich deserves a vote of thanks.