Better ideas do not by themselves change the world.

If the developing world has to resolve the paradox of extreme poverty amidst high economic growth, they will have to adopt an alternative framework to promote inclusive   development where principles of universal access to basic needs and social wage are given prominence.

"Better ideas do not by themselves change the world. The suffocation of a certain balance of social forces precludes alternative ideas from being taken seriously. There are hundreds of designs in engineering labs for smoke-less chimneys and water-less toilets, but their existence has not meant that they have been adopted for mass usage. It will require a shift in social power to allow new ideas and new technologies to become acceptable in our times. In absence of such a change, an “alternative” will simply mean a solution of a practical nature that is not capable of being fully embraced."



Read the full text of this excellent, thoughtful article by Vijay Prashad (vp01@aub.edu.lb), the Edward Said Chair at the American University of Beirut, Lebanon, at  http://www.epw.in/web-exclusives/global-perestroika.html

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