Lessons from the failure of Third World development

While the phrase ‘sustainable development’ is very familiar at the moment, since the end of the Second World War the term ‘development’ has been far more often applied in the context of ‘modernisation’ and ‘Third World development’. In mainstream Western debate at least, the appropriateness of such development for the Third World has usually been [...]

The new war on the poor

The green movement’s commitment to non-violence is often taken for granted but it is, in many ways, an extraordinarily challenging principle. I often wonder about the extent to which we ought to apply the idea of non-violence in our lives and in our politics – but don’t. Of course, it is possible to interpret the [...]

China Blue

I went to the Amnesty screening of China Blue tonight. It’s a really good film. It tells a moving human story, and shows a complex reality that demands a deeper response than “boycott Chinese clothing” or “Write to [insert Western chain-store or brand name here] and insist they don’t allow this”.
Yes, I felt sorry for [...]

Short Circuit – free on the web

The entirety of Richard Douthwaite’s Short Circuit: Strengthening Local Economies for Security in an Unstable World – plus updates – can be found here.
Douthwaite looks at real-world examples of how people can take back some control over their local economies – specifically over money, banking, energy, and food. A constructive, positive, and hopeful book. [...]