 Following is the award panel's review of the book: "The Orderly Entrepreneur: Youth, Education, and Governance in Rwanda (Stanford University Press). This book makes a superb contribution to the rather sparse anthropology of policy as social practice. It explores the paradoxes of Rwanda’s introduction of entrepreneurship classes in secondary school, a policy intended to alleviate youth unemployment. In a singularly well-crafted methodological itinerary, Honeyman followed the policy from its formulation at national and international levels, to its reworking in the Curriculum Development Committee, its implementation in the classroom, and finally to its consequences for students several years after graduation. Based on five years of research using a variety of methods, the book is empirically rich, with a fine combination of close-in and wide-angle perspectives. Honeyman proposes an original theory of governance as negotiated social learning within and across communities of practice, which illuminates how actors rework new ideas. The Rwandan state is intent on cultivating creativity among its young potential entrepreneurs, but the habits of rote learning and the tight regulation of small business effectively quell inventiveness. The most disadvantaged youth are discriminated by bans on street selling and requirements for licenses, tax, and good standard premises. In exemplary fashion, Honeyman uses her analysis to make feasible recommendations on how policies and implementation could be changed to better serve the youth of Rwanda today." Find other reviews of the book at www.orderlyentrepreneur.com |
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