The book "The Will to Improve: Governmentality, Development, and the Practice of Politics" by Tania Murray Li is an ethnographic study of governmental practices aimed at improving the lives of marginalized populations in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. The book is divided into seven chapters, covering the historical context from the colonial era to the present, and focusing on various development programs and their failures. Li critiques how colonial and neo-colonial regimes viewed less powerful people as deficient and backward, leading to forced resettlement and intensified agricultural production. She draws on theories from Foucault, Gramsci, and Marx to analyze the social control and power inequalities in development processes. The book highlights the social tensions resulting from the creation of the Lore Lindu National Park, where indigenous peoples were displaced, and the subsequent failures of development organizations to address their needs. Li argues that these organizations failed to recognize structural conditions and instead blamed villagers for their inability to improve their conditions. Despite attempts to implement new programs and strategies, such as community and partnership approaches, the issues persisted. The book concludes by questioning the fundamental causes of the failures and the role of power in shaping development outcomes, suggesting that historical attempts to reconcile conservation, capitalism, and social justice in Sulawesi are impossible due to a lack of attention to political economic structures and villager participation in decision-making.The book "The Will to Improve: Governmentality, Development, and the Practice of Politics" by Tania Murray Li is an ethnographic study of governmental practices aimed at improving the lives of marginalized populations in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. The book is divided into seven chapters, covering the historical context from the colonial era to the present, and focusing on various development programs and their failures. Li critiques how colonial and neo-colonial regimes viewed less powerful people as deficient and backward, leading to forced resettlement and intensified agricultural production. She draws on theories from Foucault, Gramsci, and Marx to analyze the social control and power inequalities in development processes. The book highlights the social tensions resulting from the creation of the Lore Lindu National Park, where indigenous peoples were displaced, and the subsequent failures of development organizations to address their needs. Li argues that these organizations failed to recognize structural conditions and instead blamed villagers for their inability to improve their conditions. Despite attempts to implement new programs and strategies, such as community and partnership approaches, the issues persisted. The book concludes by questioning the fundamental causes of the failures and the role of power in shaping development outcomes, suggesting that historical attempts to reconcile conservation, capitalism, and social justice in Sulawesi are impossible due to a lack of attention to political economic structures and villager participation in decision-making.