Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
In
chapter 6
, I address the most pressing social problem associated with dams: the up-
rooting of communities through forced displacement and resettlement. I discuss China's
policy framework for resettlement compensation, which has improved considerably in re-
cent years but remains problematic and unevenly implemented. I also discuss two primary
tools used by social scientists for mitigating the effects of dams on communities: social im-
pact assessment and participatory development. Both of these tools hinge upon a notion of
individual rights, which calls for a consideration of the legal, political, and cultural barriers
to a rights-based framework in China. I consider evidence from the Lancang dam projects
that shows a trajectory of improvement in the implementation of resettlement and com-
pensation policies over recent decades.
I widen the analytical lens of the topic in
chapter 7
to consider two global processes
related to hydropower development: first, the increasingly important role of international
NGOsoperatinginChina,whichadvocateforenvironmentalconservationandculturalpre-
servation in Yunnan; and, second, the growing role of Chinese government agencies and
corporations in providing financial and technical assistance to dam projects in the devel-
oping world, especially Africa and Southeast Asia. The linkages between China and other
global players in dam development have dramatically changed the way that hydropower
projects throughout the world are planned and implemented, from a model in which inter-
national financial institutions such as the World Bank took the lead to one in which the
Chinese dam-building industry has risen to prominence. This trend has important implica-
tions for assessing the future of dams as a development mechanism around the globe.
In the final chapter, I revisit the moral economy concept to examine how hydropower
development has brought to the forefront a set ofnormative questions about howto balance
economic development, alternative-energy production, and ecological and cultural con-
cerns. Different constituent groups tend to take extreme positions, with government agen-
cies and hydropower corporations calling for more dams and conservation NGOs trying to
stop or stall the projects. But the truly difficult task, the one that must be undertaken, is
to envision outcomes that promote energy production while also taking full stock of social
and ecological costs and devising accountability mechanisms that require relevant parties
to pay them. Achieving both goals will ultimately require greater transparency, increased
scientific collaboration, and broader public participation in decision making.
