Book Review: Latin America and Caribbean: The Challenge of Development in Latin America
| Date | 01 March 1965 |
| Author | John Sokol |
| DOI | 10.1177/002070206502000131 |
| Published date | 01 March 1965 |
| Subject Matter | Book Review |
138
INTERNATIONAL
JOURNAL
13
he
says
that
local
government
"is
a
system
which
characterizes
all
primitive
societies
and
in
some
cases precedes
central
government."
There
may
be
local
government
in
"primitive"
societies,
but
to
say
that
local
government
sometimes
precedes
central
government
is
clearly
false.
Government,
limited in
area,
population
and
functions,
is
not
necessarily
local
government.
It
is
the
existence
of
central
govern-
ment
that
gives local
government
its
distinctive
features.
Secondly,
for
instance,
on
page
202
the
author
refers
to
a
"school
of
thought
. . .
among
theorists
in
public
administration
which
. . .
suggests
that
local
government
. . .
is
unnecessary and wasteful."
Certainly,
one
of
the
most
urgent
current
questions
in developing
countries,
is
the
type
of
relationship
between
central
and
local
adminis-
trations.
One,
therefore,
gets
the
impression
that
there
is some
need
to
relate the
ideas
of
this
school
to
the Ghanaian situation.
But,
then,
the
author
gives
us
nothing
apart
from
a
mere
reference
to
this
school
of
thought.
The
book
is
mainly
for
Ghanaian
readers.
For
instance,
only
Ghanaians
and
those
with
some
knowledge
of
Ghanaian
society,
can
readily
understand
such
expressions
as
"states
of
the
country,"
"stool
resources," which
the author refers
to
without
any
explanation.
It
deals
essentially with
the
framework
set
by
the
Ghana
Local Govern-
ment
Act
of
1961
and
accepts
this
framework without
question
but
rather
gives
some
good
suggestions
for
its proper
operation.
In
fact,
as
a
result,
it
is
difficult
to
see
the
relevance
of
the
short
and
sketchy
chapter
on
some
aspects
of
the
Sudanese
Local
Government
Ordinance
of
1951.
On
the
whole,
after
reading the
book,
one
gets
the
impression
that
the
author
fights
shy
of
concepts,
general
ideas
and
even
any
possible
type
of
controversy.
However,
this
does
not
mean
that
it
is
a
bad
book.
Apart
from
its
impressive
eight
appendixes
and
six
schedules,
it
contains
a
good
deal
of
information
and
suggestions
(especially
on
financing
and
procedure)
which
will
be
of
great
and
everlasting
interest
to
local
government
councillors
and
employees
and
all
students
of local
government not
only
in
Ghana but
also
in
the
whole
of Africa.
Mr.
Nsarkoh
must
be
congratulated.
University
of
Ghana
J.
A.
PEASAH
Latin
America and
Caribbean
THE
CHALLENGE
OF
DEVELOPMENT
IN
LATIN
AMERICA.
By
Victor L.
Urquidi.
1964.
(New
York:
Frederick
A.
Praeger.
Toronto:
Burns
&
MacEachern.
xiv.
209pp.
$7.25)
Good
general
books
on
Latin
America
are
few
and
far
between.
In
the
last
few
years there
has
been
a
number
of
books,
written
as
a
rule
by
journalists,
predicting
imminent
crises,
coming
explosions,
and
other
assorted
dooms.
By
the
time
the
writer
sets
down
his
impressions
of a
hurried
trip
through
Latin
America,
and
by
the
time
the
book
To continue reading
Request your trial