ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book reviews the more general policy concepts which underlay the welfare state initiated in Western nations in the mid twentieth century. It discusses under the general categories of non-traditional rural area goods and services and resource mobility and adaptability. The book outlines the difficulties involved with continuing present policies when conditions solicit different economic strategies. It focuses on the problems of local governance, arguing for a new approach to civic education to prepare rural residents to more effectively establish and implement local policy. The book examines the ecological aspects of regeneration in detail and presents some examples of its application to rural communities. It provides some examples of ways in which rural communities can put the images they value into action.
