The Asian Development Bank: A Promoter of Good Governance in Its Hydropower Development Projects? Case Study Theun Hinboun Hydropower Project in Laos

Abstract

"The paper will explore the role and challenges related to the role of Asian Development Bank in environmental governance, with a particular focus on hydropower project management, casestudy Theun Hinboun Hydroelectric Power Project in Lao PDR. One of the key research questions of this paper is how ADB can translate the rhetoric and the aspirations of sustainable human development, poverty reduction, environmental protection and participation into action through Bank's hydropower projects? The preparation of this paper has involved analyses of reports related to the Theun Hinboun hydropower project, national plans and documents of Lao PDR, ADB-documents, interviews of representatives of key stakeholders at all levels in Laos and Thailand, and analyses of secondary literature of the subject to unpack the research dilemma. This paper aims to contribute to the broader debate on the role of multinational funding agencies in the development of natural resources in developing countries."