Book Review (Spotlight Weekly)]

Economic Development and
the Vision of Social Justice
SAARC After the Year 2000
Edited by : Ananda Shrestha and Nav Raj Dahal

Published by : Nepal Foundation of Advanced Studies (NEFAS), Coalition for Action on South Asian Cooperation

and Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung
Price: Undisclosed

Liberalization And Social Justice

The book describes the economic and the vision of social justice

By KESHAB POUDEL

After the economic liberalization, many efforts have been made to reform the economic policies but only a few people seem to be concerned about the subsequent impact on the social justice.

Social justice involves a view of society in which distribution of resources is fair and equitable and where all members are safe and secure. It also assumes that individuals are both self-reliant and inter-dependent.

At a time when everybody is talking about the economic development, a group of intellectuals stress the need for social justice and civil rights. The social transformation is necessary for expanding the basic economic entitlement such as education and training, access to health services and public utilities.

Based on three articles written by Professor Dr. Gunanidhi Sharma, Bijendra M. Shakya and Narayan Manandhar, the book highlights the situation of social justice and Nepalese economy.

"Democratic development requires institutional separation of power including their checks and balances. It also requires the evolution of a decentralized political economy where, to the possible extent, decisions are made at the grass root level," says Horst Mund, resident representative of Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES).

In his article Dr. Sharma describes various aspects of economic development programs and social justice in Nepalese context. He argues that economic development is a by-product of the social thinking and behavior of any society which tries either to maximize self-interest, or to attain equitable social order.

"Even though the stress either on the efficiency or on social justice as the goals of social policy taken care of by public policy has been found simultaneous for centuries, it is merely for devising specific measures to avoid serious negative consequences emanating from confrontations among contrasting social forces," states Dr Sharma.

In their papers, Narayan Manandhar and Bijendra M. Shakya discuss the transition from SAPTA to SAFTA and its impact on the Nepalese economy and the vision of social justice.

Development and Disparity
Focus on Nepal
By : Dr Ek Raj Ojha
Price: Undisclosed

Development And Disparity

Dr. Ojha discusses development disparities in Nepal

By A CORRESPONDENT

Although Nepal has made great strides in the development process, regional disparity continues to widen. This is what Dr Ek Raj Ojha attempts to discuss in his new book.

Despite improvement of living condition of a considerable number of people, the gap between the rich and poor has been growing alarmingly. Regional disparity is startling in the development process of the country.

Ojha also explains issues concerning the balance between economic and political power of the development countries and the developing ones.

The system of development planning began in 1956 in Nepal with the formulation of the first five year plan. Since then, eight development plans have already been completed with the singular aim to improve the living condition of common people.

One of the important characters of the book is that it evaluates the development phenomenon through the analysis of different other phenomenon.

The author also stresses the need to develop the process of self-reliance and argues in favor of reducing the foreign aid in the country's development.