The Roads Taken: Serendipity, Purpose, and Our Pursuit of Human Development

Arthur and Susan Holcombe trace the evolution of their thinking about Third World poverty reduction strategies from their graduate study of economic and social development at the University of Pittsburgh through careers with the UN and with nongovernmental organizations (TPAF and Oxfam America). They worked and lived in East Africa, Afghanistan, Pakistan, South Pacific, Sudan and China. Their work took them to Tibet, Gaza, the Andes, Cambodia and elsewhere.Their college years at Harvard and Mount Holyoke gave them a global perspective. Here they describe the political, economic, social, demographic and environmental factors influencing poverty. They identify key development programs focused on human development. The memoir concludes with a retrospect of conditions prevailing in countries where they earlier worked. In 1965, experts saw poverty reduction as top down, with foreign aid channeled through government programs. Priority was given to investments in physical and social infrastructure. Over time the philosophy of the "Washington Consensus" reigned, giving priority to markets, foreign private investment, exploitation of natural resources, and de-emphasis of social services and the traditional agricultural sector, which should have been the starting point for human development. Arthur and Susan saw this foreign influence as counterproductive to sustainable development. In the 1990s, they saw in action the Chinese comprehensive approach to rural development that produced effective poverty reduction: over 7 million rural families moved out of abject poverty after 1979. This nationally-led "China Model" has lessons for other Third World countries. The lives and careers of Arthur and Susan met serendipitous opportunities that led to the road they took. They hope their children and grandchildren will also take roads that can lead to rewarding careers and life experiences.