First published 1982
Michael Bamberger finds himself caught between competing demands as he evaluates development projects across multiple sites. His methodical approach to assessing services and their implementation puts him at odds with program administrators who want favorable reports and community leaders who question his presence. Bamberger documents failures alongside successes, measuring outcomes against stated objectives while navigating political pressures from funding agencies. Each site presents unique challenges that test his commitment to honest evaluation. The work forces him to confront the gap between development theory and ground-level reality, as local needs clash with institutional priorities.
Genres: politics, non-fiction, academic
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: bureaucracy, fish-out-of-water
203 pages · Paperback · World Bank