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Abstract: Abstract The recently begun Xayaburi dam project in Laos has demonstrated the uncertainty and disagreement about dams and development in the Mekong Region. Despite concerns that the environmental and social costs of hydropower far exceed the benefits, the government of Laos has produced an explicit economic development policy with hydropower at its center. The Xayaburi dam project has sp... read moreurred widespread debate about how to balance economic development with ecological imperatives in an economically and politically diverse region. This thesis uses discourse analysis to identify the dominant storylines within the Xayaburi dam debate as a window into the social processes that influence hydropower decision-making in Laos. Analysis of the major storylines reveals the ways in which certain ideas and concepts have taken hold and continue to influence hydropower development in Laos. The thesis concludes with a discussion of potential areas where the discourse could be shifted to more meaningfully address the motivation for building large dams.
Thesis (M.A.)--Tufts University, 2013.
Submitted to the Dept. of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning.
Advisor: Rusty Russell.
Committee: Sheldon Krimsky.
Keyword: Environmental science.read less
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