Humphrey School News on-the-go

Brian Atwood weighs in on modernization, development models, and the United State's role as a donor nation.

I would dispute the fact that we've been basing development on the modernization model. I think we learned a few lessons from the effort to try to modernize Iran. We realized that it isn't the stark question of the "Lexus or the olive tree"; that development has to be in context; that we've got to work with countries; that we've got to understand the cultural issues and the institutions of the country; that we've got to build those institutions in those countries where they're ineffective.

Prism
September, 2012

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