ABSTRACT
This chapter investigates the potential impact of various behavioral and socio-psychological processes on the relationships between agricultural research and technology transfer personnel in developing countries. It discusses the types of relationship which are officially prescribed, which are theoretically possible, and which actually exist — they are usually different—between the two groups in “Links between Institutional Agricultural Technology Systems (IATS) Groups". The chapter presents a simple model of the organizational structure and associated occupational subgroups commonly found in public sector IATS. It considers the distinction between interindividual and intergroup relationships in “Relationships between Groups" and examines the usefulness of the two main socio-psychological theoretical approaches to intergroup relationships, Realistic Conflict Theory and Social Identity Theory, for explaining relationships between groups within IATS. The chapter focuses on more strictly sociological explanations of occupational groups and their inter-relationships in “Occupational Groups and Structure".
