People and the State: An Anthropology of Planned Development

This book looks at the rise, during this century, of planned development. Most discussion has stressed differences in the style, content and organization of planning in various countries, but this book focuses on the similarities, arguing that it is done in much the same way everywhere, and for basically the same reasons. It begins by tracing the history of modern planning to the efforts of Russia and the western countries earlier this century to organize and control industrialization and economic growth. It looks at the characteristic structures, processes and organizations; of planning and the conflicts in intentions and aspirations of modern states and of ordinary people. A detailed case study of planning in Malaysia is also included.