In the fifth edition of this widely adopted text, John Isbister brings the dilemmas of international poverty and the Third World into the 21st century. Besides including the most current information, data and discussion of political change around the world, Promises Not Kept now highlights the divergent paths chosen by different developing regions — some embracing modern technology and institutions, while others seek different paths…. More >>
Promises Not Kept : The Betrayal of Social Change in the Third World
but it’s just that. So if you’re in the market for anything else, look.. well elsewhere. This book just gives a sometimes one-sided view on current politics surrounding captalism, poverty, etc. Interesting only for research purposes.
Rating: 2 / 5
Much of the clarity and conciseness that marked the 3rd edition of this work as an excellent introduction to the study of underdevelopment has been lost in the 4th edition. I have used the 3rd edition several times in the past two years as a primary text for a college-level course dealing with Third World culture and politics. This semester, I moved perforce to the 4th edition and have noted that my students (most of whom are having their first exposure to international political economy and who are neither political science nor economics majors) are having far more difficulty in comprehending the theoretical bases for explaining underdevelopment than they have had in the past. In short, the 4th edition is a step backwards and is somewhat disappointing. In my opinion, the 4th edition of this work has replaced an excellent resource with merely a good one.
Rating: 3 / 5