The Inca Smiled

This volume is a personal account of a young development volunteer's work and play, his daily life and his experiences among the Ecuadorian people. It is at once a homage to Ecuador's cultural diversity and a moving evocation of the idealism that has led so many young people to travel so far in the name of progress and global awareness. While telling a deeply personal story, however, the author discusses the philosophy of development, the meaning of true prosperity, and the complex reason behind decades of failure to extricate whole peoples from the vicious circle of underdevelopment, poverty, debt and corruption. As we enter a new era of multiculturalism and a truly global economy, Poole argues for a new emphasis on understanding the cultural and ethical barriers to economic development, and makes the case for encouraging the disadvantaged peoples of the world to speak for themselves about their priorities, their needs and their time-honoured spiritual values.