ABSTRACT
Policymakers, planners, and investors soon became aware of serious information gaps on certain issues. Researchers and research sponsors are the book's primary audience. If the findings of research are to be in terms useful for policy and action, those conducting the research must be aware of the positions and perspectives of the decision makers concerned. Decision makers in many different settings sponsor work by this new research community and are users of its findings. Village officials and councils— elected, appointed, or hereditary— connect the village or cluster of villages with the wider political and governmental framework. Engineers, scientists, and systems analysts in industrial companies, fuel research and development institutes, forest products institutes, water resource boards, and technical universities and polytechnics need data on resource, demand, and design determinants for improving existing energy technologies and developing new technologies. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
