ABSTRACT
It is now time to re-assess our arguments in the light of the questions posed in Chapter 1. Those questions concerned both macro and micro issues to do with rural change and its regulation and, in particular, the ways in which international processes of economic and social restructuring are being expressed within national and local contexts. They were, first, how should advances in mainstream social science theory be applied and adapted to the rural arena? Secondly, to what extent do the regulatory and accumulation “crises” of the late 20th century suggest a significant break with past experience, and with what consequences for rural areas? Finally, how should locally based social action be incorporated into our understanding of uneven development?
