The People and their River, the World Bank and its Dam: Revisiting the Xe Bang Fai River in Laos Ian G. Baird, Bruce P. Shoemaker and Kanokwan Manorom ABSTRACT Sustained criticism in the 1980s and 1990s resulted in a decline of World Bank funding for large hydropower dams. The Bank subsequently partici- pated in the World Commission on Dams process, which set higher global standards for hydropower dams. In 2005, the World Bank agreed to support the Nam Theun 2 Hydropower Project (NT2) in Laos, and in 2010 NT2 began diverting water from the Theun River into the Xe Bang Fai River. The World Bank has promoted NT2 as a successful model of poverty allevia- tion, justifying support for other large dams. Assessing actual impacts and associated mitigation and compensation is thus timely. This article presents qualitative field research from early 2014 about the downstream impacts of NT2 in the Xe Bang Fai River basin and a description and analysis of efforts to compensate for losses. The authors consider the situation with the assis- tance of baseline data collected in 2001, before project approval. Findings suggest that NT2 has had a significant negative impact, including on the livelihoods of large numbers of people dependent on the river’s resources. Many of those impacted view compensation and mitigation efforts as having failed to adequately address their losses. Further independent investigation and documentation are needed. INTRODUCTION In the 1980s and 1990s evidence of serious social and environmental conse- quences of large-scale hydropower dams mounted. The World Bank became the focus of criticism due to its key role in financing hydropower projects in developing countries — projects associated with forced resettlement, the We would like to acknowledge the hundreds of Lao villagers who spent time answering our questions and extending us warm hospitality. Thanks also to the University of Wisconsin- Madison for facilitating this study, and to the Blue Moon Fund, the McKnight Foundation and Open Society Foundations for providing financial support for this research. The views expressed in this article do not, however, necessarily reflect those of our supporters. Thanks to Laura Poplett from the Cartography lab, Department of Geography, University of Wisconsin-Madison for preparing the maps (Figures 1 and 2). Thanks as well to the many colleagues, in Laos and elsewhere, who provided comments and advice on our study. We also thank the three anonymous peer reviewers who commented on the article, and helped strengthen our paper. Development and Change 46(5): 1080–1105. DOI: 10.1111/dech.12186 C  2015 International Institute of Social Studies.