Comments on: World Bank Policies and Public Participation http://goodspeedupdate.com/2009/2409 Rob Goodspeed's blog Mon, 09 Jan 2012 16:37:16 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Barney Frank Threatens to Block World Bank Funding | DailyUN http://goodspeedupdate.com/2009/2409/comment-page-1#comment-538397 Barney Frank Threatens to Block World Bank Funding | DailyUN Sat, 12 Sep 2009 04:08:18 +0000 http://goodspeedupdate.com/?p=2409#comment-538397 [...] room for smaller countries in World Bank and IMF processes – and there sure as hell isn’t room for the [...] [...] room for smaller countries in World Bank and IMF processes – and there sure as hell isn’t room for the [...]

]]> By: Rob Goodspeed http://goodspeedupdate.com/2009/2409/comment-page-1#comment-394225 Rob Goodspeed Sun, 11 Jan 2009 18:17:32 +0000 http://goodspeedupdate.com/?p=2409#comment-394225 Thank you for your comment. I didn't mean to imply the policies worked at all. In fact, in the article I describe the many ways doing an Environmental Assessment in a developing world context makes no sense. Some of the many barriers are cultural, distance, and language, not to mention the other factors that give similar type assessments power in the US context - our legal system, media, and democratic society. Given these obstacles and faulty assumptions, doing environmental assessments can be meaningless, as the critics I cite describe. At the end I discuss an alternative from toothless procedural policies (even if the project is very damaging, an EA alone has no power to stop it), participatory budgeting. I would be interested in your view about how indigenous peoples should be integrated into project planning. Should the World Bank discontinue all projects of a certain type (such as dams, as some have suggested)? Should the institution itself be abolished? Thank you for your comment. I didn’t mean to imply the policies worked at all. In fact, in the article I describe the many ways doing an Environmental Assessment in a developing world context makes no sense. Some of the many barriers are cultural, distance, and language, not to mention the other factors that give similar type assessments power in the US context – our legal system, media, and democratic society. Given these obstacles and faulty assumptions, doing environmental assessments can be meaningless, as the critics I cite describe.

At the end I discuss an alternative from toothless procedural policies (even if the project is very damaging, an EA alone has no power to stop it), participatory budgeting. I would be interested in your view about how indigenous peoples should be integrated into project planning. Should the World Bank discontinue all projects of a certain type (such as dams, as some have suggested)? Should the institution itself be abolished?

]]> By: Indigenous Peoples Activist http://goodspeedupdate.com/2009/2409/comment-page-1#comment-394158 Indigenous Peoples Activist Sun, 11 Jan 2009 13:39:46 +0000 http://goodspeedupdate.com/?p=2409#comment-394158 Sadly, I don't think it is as easy for indigenous people as "Go to the environmental assessment hearing, listen to the PowerPoint, and be heard." Most are in remote locations, have not idea what an environmental assessment hearing is, nor where to go to voice their opinion. These mandates by the World Bank are more of a guise to look inclusive then to really try and include indigenous people's voices. Sadly, I don’t think it is as easy for indigenous people as “Go to the environmental assessment hearing, listen to the PowerPoint, and be heard.” Most are in remote locations, have not idea what an environmental assessment hearing is, nor where to go to voice their opinion. These mandates by the World Bank are more of a guise to look inclusive then to really try and include indigenous people’s voices.

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