Introduction to the Sociology of Development by Andrew Webster Paperback
Andrew Webster says that the solution to poverty is not just more; more money, more big business, more aid and more bureaucracy. But an intelligent approach that considers the cultural dynamics of the community along with the use of economic tools. He pointed out that if a work method or a product is introduced a community that has strong negative cultural implications, the project will fail. Not because the people are lazy or stupid, but because they believed all their lives that such activity was wrong or beneath them or else it violated some community taboo. For instance, if ox plowing is introduced in a community that believes that only the "other" tribe that are herdsmen handle oxen and that the "other" tribe is below their tribe, it will be very difficult to get the local people to try ox plowing. Webster makes the very logical point that successful development must consider the cultural environment in which the development is meant to take place.
