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International development institutions have a long history of projects gone awry with unfulfilled promises. Their failure to recognize and integrate the local contextual details and to learn from mistakes are primary reasons why they typically fall short of projected goals. In this paper we take an ethnographic approach to a case study of a rural energy project in an urbanizing village in Northeast China. We present our findings from a social, economic and environmental impact assessment (SEEIA) of the project and show how cultural conflicts, institutional manipulation and false reporting functioned to eclipse SEEIA findings and preclude the chance for project success. Failure is bound to repeat itself in the absence of accountability to intended beneficiaries and stakeholders, and in the perpetuation of apolitical pretense in the institutional structure of the international development industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social development practitioners often think of their tools as neutral and universal. This is a misconception. The project preparation tools promoted by social development specialists in international financial institutions and allied agencies are culturally embedded, reflecting a specific set of Western values including equality, openness, and direct action. Uncritical application of these tools and approaches often results in political and social resistance which can curtail their intended benefits and further marginalize vulnerable groups. This paper discusses the political context of social assessment and suggests some corrective approaches for practitioners in the field of international social development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]