ABSTRACT
The agreement on the legitimacy of developmental goals and of international obligations to assist in their achievement is matched by substantial disagreement on the most effective means toward these goals. Egregious social and economic inequality are neither fashionable nor ideologically justifiable any more—at least not publicly. This constitutes a revolution in thought and social orientation. Inequalities in income and social status also make a great difference in a variety of ways. Perhaps most trenchant and relevant is that which has to do with a sense of significant membership in the society. It must be understood by any development planner that the vast majority of the people of the world have a great deal to lose, from their point of view, from any basic social change. There are a variety of ways in which nations can approach the goal of distributing the sense of membership and consequently of evoking the voluntary spirit and informed participation in national and local affairs.
