ABSTRACT
'Development' is as much a set of currently existing institutions and practices with an international remit and compass as it is sets of concepts containing powerful ideological visions with normative tools of reform on behalf of economic growth and poverty alleviation. Intuitively, anthropologists will readily accept this general view of complexity and nuance in development outcomes and decision-making and the need to understand the puzzle that Ferguson identifies. Project practices often do vary greatly in their aims and impact and can introduce new voices or improve professional practice. Some of the risks concerning the impact on development operations are internal to the aid agencies. Development projects are interventions that use human skills and other types of capital to enhance productive assets and stimulate economic activity. The long-term role of social development specialists is also somewhat uncertain.
