Publication

This paper discusses unintended consequences from development and relief interventions. It identifies the root of false assumptions as the lingering of a Weberian tradition that pervades conventional wisdom of state-society relations and discusses Migdal’s challenge to the Weberian state and his “state-in-society” model of political power. The author then analyzes these competing theories within the context of three case studies drawn from field-research of development and relief work within Kashipur Block of Orissa, India. This reveals not just what is happening in Kashipur, but also a much broader set of puzzles about why planned development produces mostly unintended effects at the local level.