Development Projects & a Critical Theory of Environment

Development Projects and A Critical Theory of Environment presents an original critical theory of environmental sociology. It is demonstrated through six examples of infrastructure development projects, ranging from eco-tourism and amusement parks to power and mining projects, abatement of industrial pollution, and urban transportation. Jyotsna Bapat locates each development project in its social, institutional and historical contexts, and explains their outcomes as the consequence of the actions of various individuals and groups, each acting rationally to optimise their own interests. Interactions between project affected persons (PAPs), the promoters of each project and government agencies are analysed at different stages of the projects. Bapat concludes that agencies regulating environmental impact should adopt a 'reconstructive adaptive' strategy aimed at leaving the physical environment in a better condition than when the project began. Similarly, development projects should ensure that PAPs, especially those whose livelihoods are linked to environmental resources, are at least as well off as they were without the project. This book is an important contribution to assessing the social and environmental impacts of development projects.