ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to develop and apply a micro-based perspective to rural, urban, and regional dimensions of development. It argues that various forms of microeconomic organizations exist that differ among themselves as to goals pursued, internal organization, and spatial scale of operations. The chapter shows that the initial outgrowth of the central state in Colombia was related to the provision of basic economic and physical infrastructure necessary for the development of coffee exports and early industrialization. The expanding role of the state and centralization within the state also have important regional implications. The cotton-textile study and the general study of macro and regional developments underline the importance during the postwar period, of agriculture-led in contrast with the frequently emphasized industry-led processes of regional change. In addition to industry-led processes, agriculture-led processes are equally relevant in any explanation of the growth of towns. Similarly, agroindustrial integration cannot take place without expansion of town-based activities.
