Abstract:
This two-part case about a fictionalized international agency (Globobank) describes the challenge faced by a newly arrived country officer taking over in the late stages of the development of a large economic development project. Her predecessor's last project, now bequeathed to her, she quickly discovers, is fraught with environmental problems, apparent disregard for the human rights of indigenous peoples, and other potential difficulties. Support for the project, she is counseled, is imperative to support the struggling democracy. She faces the challenge of either supporting, scrapping, or trying to modify the project to mitigate its (many) imperfections--in a setting where she has relatively little influence, and the senior leadership of her organization has already spoken publicly in favor of the project (even though it is still officially undergoing internal review and approval).
Learning Objective:
This case is disguised and fictionalized, but the project described is based on an amalgam of projects considered or actually undertaken by international development organizations
