William Ascher: Bringing in the future: strategies for farsightedness and sustainability in developing countries: University of Chicago Press, 2009, 328 pp

摘要

The cover of William Ascher's book Bringing in the Future features a photo of an unfinished bridge reaching partially across a broad river and framed by green, forested hillsides. The picture immediately begs a set of questions about the book's core purpose, even before the first pages are turned. Is it a bridge of opportunity, recalling Bill Clinton's 1996 campaign refrain regarding a "bridge to the twenty-first century," or is it a "bridge to nowhere," symbolizing expensive public works projects that provide minimal contributions to public welfare? Having already examined the latter possibility in a 1999 book entitled Why Governments Waste Natural Resources: Policy Failures in Developing Countries, Ascher turns his attention in this book to constructing positive futures in developing countries. Although developing countries are not alone in the myriad political and economic challenges they face, Ascher applies his considerable knowledge and experience in these contexts to examine what he sees as the key characteristic of policy-making for sustainability-farsightedness.