Racism touches many of the relationships created by the international development industry, but has been largely ignored by policy and academic studies. Like its historical precursors, it is in conversation with other forms of inequality based on class, gender, ethnicity and caste. Generalized representations of ‘racial’groups are pervasive and can be trivial in impact. But when combined with exclusionary social networks and rituals, and used to justify white-dominated power structures, the result can be systematic discrimination against people based on their racial identity. With examples from encounters between staff working in development in international agencies, networks, governments and national organizations in Latin America, Africa and Asia, we illustrate how racism is played out. We suggest that such observations emphasize the need to decentralize power to the South and that the subject deserves more thorough investigation.

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Rural transport issues have only recently received the attention of transport planners and technologists. This paper draws on existing literature and the author's own experience with Intermediate Technology programs to illustrate the gender inequalities in the distribution of the transport burden among women and men in rural households, and in the provision and use of transport technologies. Typically, women spend more time and energy than men on transport tasks and have less access to the means of transport, to infrastructure and to transport services that can help reduce this effort. This depicts a considerable waste of human energy on what is, essentially, low productive activity. The author argues that the non-economic nature of women's transport tasks and the low participation of women in the decision-making processes that prioritize and design interventions have constrained the implementation of more appropriate transport strategies. There are however new planning methodologies and a growing body of practical examples of innovative projects that can have (and have had) a positive impact on women. The paper argues not only for the integration of gender into transport strategies, but also for the inclusion of transport issues into strategies that seek to empower rural women. It concludes by identifying some key areas for future research and action.

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