ERIC KASHAMBUZI

This is my tenth book.  The ten books represent fifty years (1961-2010) of critical reading, research and writing on development issues with a focus on four areas: (1) comparative advantage and economic and social transformation; (2) population growth and birth control; (3) population densities and environmental damage; and (4) structural adjustment and poverty eradication.

In searching for the truth or completeness I have always looked for those aspects that are absent from standard development discourse to give readers all the information needed to make informed decisions. For example, when someone writes about a glass half full, I research and write about the empty part of that glass.  Based on this dialectical approach, I have drawn conclusions and learned lessons that differ from standard positions in the four areas.

I have learnt and concluded that (1) static comparative advantage in the production and export of raw materials is not a wise course of action because it will not generate sufficient resources to transform a country’s economy and society; (2) relying on birth control alone without educating girls beyond primary school and empowering women economically will not bring about the desired results in fertility reduction and demographic transition; (3) high population densities are not always caused by natural population growth (births over deaths) and high densities do not always damage the environment. There are cases like Kilimanjaro area of Tanzania where the environment has not been damaged by high population density and Machakos district of Kenya where the environment has benefited from high population density; and (4) thirty years of stabilization and structural adjustment programs in Africa undermined progress in social and environmental sectors and failed to sustain economic growth, create jobs and reduce poverty.

Copyright © 2010 by Eric Kashambuzi
Publisher: Jones Harvest Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-60388-303-0, Format: Paperback, 226pp.
ISBN: 1-60338-303-7