ABSTRACT
The daily migration from rural to urban areas is a graphic indicator of the depth of rural poverty for most of the third world’s population. Given the pressures from both the international and domestic environment, it should come as no surprise that few countries are deeply committed to rural development. Development assistance agency officials often lament the lack of national commitment to rural development without appreciating its origin. A major complication in achieving support for rural development in many countries since 1973 has been the rapid rise in oil prices. Given the environmental factors—global interdependence, peasant behavior, and national policy commitments—several different ways of diagnosing the problem of rural underdevelopment can be distinguished. Rural peoples have only two resources—their land and labor. Land reform is particularly significant in studies of administration since its manner of implementation is as important as the original policy decision.
