Economic and Social Impacts of Large Dams Around the World: Experiences in China, 
Africa and the U.S + Reflections on the Report of the World Commission on Large Dams

Economic and Social Impacts of Large Dams Around the World”. The report draws on Chuck’s experiences with 
resettlement of populations from a large dam in West Africa and his critique of the Three Gorges development and its 
consequences. The presentation covers  summaries of the findings of the World Commission on Dams (year 2000) and 
Thayer Scudder’s book, “The Future of Large Dams” re economic development in the third World.      
Turning to the U.S.,  similar issues are discussed regarding the TVA, Hoover Dam and Glen Canyon Dam on the 
Colorado,  the joint U.S.- Canadian development of the Columbia River and  the proposed Pick-Sloan developments on 
the Missouri River. In general, these ambitious projects have generated net benefits for some of  the affected 
populations (usually the more prosperous groups) but have fallen short in dealing with associated major social and 
environmental impacts while exceeding their design costs.