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This book proposes an original critical theory of environmental sociology which is verified through actual projects relating to infrastructure development. The author locates each development project in its social, institutional and historical contexts, and explains their outcomes as the consequence of the actions of various individuals and groups, each acting rationally to optimise their own interests.

The author argues that agencies regulating environmental impact should adopt a `reconstructive adaptive' strategy aimed at leaving the physical environment in a better condition than when the project began. Similarly, development projects should ensure that people affected by these projects, especially those whose livelihoods are linked to environmental resources, are at least as well off as they were without the project.