ABSTRACT
Current problems of economic and social change have made social scientists aware of the necessity of learning more about each other's work, particularly as it relates to specific problems they are all trying to solve. The bearing of economic conditions on the character of a social system and the relevance of social factors to economic decision is becoming more apparent to social scientists concerned with the problem of developing economies. The peasant economy is not subsistence farming, which Professor Firth indicates is an almost pure economic concept focusing upon relatively simple technology and low productivity. The contribution of anthropology to the problems of economic growth in the underdeveloped countries is to help the economist see and identify more clearly the relevance of social factors to economic decision. A careful examination of colonialism and its introduction of legal, political, and economic change is one area of research.
