Country Frameworks for Development Displacement and Resettlement

"Price and Singer have brought together a diverse and perceptive group of authors in a volume that will be compelling reading for scholars, practitioners and policy makers concerned with improving planned displacement and resettlement outcomes. The insights within come at a critical juncture for sustainable development, and underscore the need for alignment between local, national and international perspectives on this important topic." — Deanna Kemp, Professor, Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining, The University of Queensland, Australia

"This volume raises a crucial issue: Good country legislation is paramount as a first step towards minimising the impact of forced displacement on vulnerable people whose way of life may be irrevocably and suddenly changed. I witnessed a graphic illustration of the reservoir disruption and chaos caused by relocation of 15 longhouse communities in East Malaysia." — Jennifer Alexander, Anthropologist and Honorary Associate Professor, ANU College of Asia and the Pacific, Australia

"Susanna Price and Jane Singer have assembled an amazing set of papers focused on country frameworks for displacement and resettlement. A much-needed contribution, this is sure to become a major work in the field of development studies." — Hari Mohan Mathur, Distinguished Professor, Council for Social Development, New Delhi, India

"A comprehensive analysis of the gaps between national and international standards in land acquisition and resettlement, and a must read for all stakeholders seeking to improve outcomes for affected people. This book provides the evidence that reliance on country safeguard systems alone will result in further serious human rights abuses." — Eddie Smyth, Director, Intersocial Consulting, Ltd.

"This is a necessary book. Not only does it present well-documented, thoroughly researched case studies, but it also lays groundwork for a much-needed legal framework that can handle the huge power asymmetries that occur when indigenous and other vulnerable peoples face displacement by governments and corporations promoting development projects in the name of public interest." — Renato Ponciano, Associate Professor, Engineering Department, Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala

"This edited volume contains a wealth of scholarship that fill a void in development studies. Large scale development projects are often touted as essential for national growth, and yet they frequently mean displacement and harm to communities that are already marginalized. This volume contains research on this significant issue from around the globe, allowing for comparisons and the identification of trends and patterns." — Mary Jane C. Parmentier, Clinical Associate Professor, Arizona State University, USA

"This volume is an important addition to the literature on development-induced displacement. Bringing together well-known experts in the field, the volume presents intriguing case studies that analyze how countries conceptualize and plan displacement for developmental purposes and how livelihood outcomes of displaced people are addressed. The volume is an essential read for researchers, students and development practitioners alike." — Sabrina Habich-Sobiegalla, Professor for Chinese Studies, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany

"This is an important, timely book. It brings home the inadequacies of reparation for land takings by governments in the name of public interest for especially the majority poor. This will keep taking a toll until governments get to grips with the damage outdated and unjust norms are doing to their broader development and peace agendas." — Liz Alden Wily, International Land Tenure Specialist

"Based on abundant case studies from around the world this volume amply illustrates the gap between rhetoric and reality in legal and institutional frameworks to address the risks to lives and livelihoods created when development displaces people. The Introduction and Conclusion clearly explain the issues to the reader." — Hamamoto Atsushi, Professor, Toyo University, Japan