Good Government in the Tropics (The Johns Hopkins Studies in Development) [Paperback]

Judith Tendler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 16, 1998 | Series: The Johns Hopkins Studies in Development

In Good Government in the Tropics, Judith Tendler questions widely prevailing views about why governments so often perform poorly and about what causes them to improve. Drawing on a set of four cases involving public bureaucracies at work under the direction of an innovative state government in Brazil, the book offers findings of significance to the current debates about organization of the public-sector workplace, public service delivery, decentralization, and the interaction between government and civil society. The case chapters represent four different sectors, each traditionally spoken for by its distinct experts, literatures, and public agnecies—rural preventive health, small enterprise development, agricultural extension for small farmers, and employment-creating public works construction and drought relief. With findings that cut across these sectoral boundaries, the book raises questions about the policy advice proferred by the international donor community. It shifts the terms of the prevailing debate away from mistrust of government toward an understanding of the circumstances under which public servants become truly committed to their work and public service improves dramatically.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Those who have been waiting for Judith Tendler's book... have been well rewarded. Bringing together the case studies of good government in the state of Ceara in North East Brazil enables Tendler to draw a series of wider, over-arching conclusions... [Overall] this is a splendid book, which reaches us just as the debates about the 'proper' role of the state in development are picking up again.

(Emanuel de Kadt Journal of Development Studies )

The examples are well-presented, and together they weave a logical and forceful argument.

(David Dunham Development and Change )

Remarkably refreshing and timely.

(Abdoulaye S. M. Sain Journal of Developing Areas )

The traditional focus on trying to eliminate 'rent-seeking' by reducing the state's role has made a contribution but lost much of its charisma. Theoreticians and practitioners alike are looking for new ideas and Tendler offers a quite intriguing set of them. The cases demonstrate surprising counter-intuitive results that will be of interest even to those with little substantive interest in the particular setting described. Theoretical novelty and elegant use of evidence combine to make this book a clear winner,

(Peter Evans, University of California at Berkeley )

About the Author

Judith Tendler is professor of political economy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her previous works include Electric Power in Brazil: Entrepreneurship in the Public Sector, Inside Foreign Aid and New Lessons from Old Projects: The Workings of Rural Development in Northeast Brazil.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press (September 16, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 080186092X
• ISBN-13: 978-0801860928
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #506,302 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book on good government in Brazil, January 3, 2007

By 

S. L. Freeman "slf2115" (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Good Government in the Tropics (The Johns Hopkins Studies in Development) (Paperback)

This is a great study of how government can be a positive force in develoment. When much of development discourse is based on serving the poor without the involvement of government, this case study of Ceara region in Brazil shows how "good government" can improve the lives of their people. In the case of preventative health, it was amazing how the central government established a programs that gave local citizens jobs and training and a system in which rent-seeking behavior could be reduced. Everyone in the community had more of an investment in their communities and workers were proud of their work. Overall, it's a good book, especially as it provides an example in which not all governments in developing countries are corrupt.