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The article presents information on a workshop related to the linkages between theory and practice in rural sociology. The papers in this Workshop concentrate on the conditions affecting the utilization of rural sociological research findings by practitioners. A restriction is that papers deal with applied research and not with pure research, which in the long run can have an important effect on the decisions of practitioners. There are four papers: (1) a paper by the author, which gives a theoretical framework, but no empirical evidence that this framework is correct. Unfortunately, this paper is somewhat out of date, because after it was written, the author obtained an overview of 4000 publications in this field, (2) a paper by author M. Lerner, which gives a case study of 15 years of sociological research for the Settlement Department of the Jewish Agency in Israel. Experience taught that it was necessary to change the relations between research workers and practitioners considerably over this time, (3) a paper by author A. Levesque, which describes to years experience of a French private research agency in research on rural development for a number of different government agencies and professional organizations, (4) a paper by author R. Riedler, based on experience in a mountainous district of Austria, where not much empirical sociological research has been done.

This article deals with the pattern of changing functions of the rural community consequent on changes in agriculture. The first half of the paper is devoted to the definition of the problem under investigation, an outline of its precise scope and an indication of its limits. The article is concerned both with those social changes in the rural community that are the product of internally generated developments in agriculture and also those that result from the effect on agriculture of the influence of outside factors. The paper confines its analysis to European conditions and, more particularly, to the more-developed rural regions of Europe. Taking up the findings of the Limerick Rural Survey in Ireland, the article illustrates these consequences by reference to them. The first consequence is shown to consist mainly in a weakening of the rigid class system which formerly kept the farm laborer in subordination. Today, due to their shortage and the possibility of bettering their lot by emigration, the status of the farm laborers is being upgraded, to an extent that is having some unsettling effects on the farmer's family, on whom the burden of agricultural work is falling more heavily.

This paper examines the relationship between formal and informal participation of individuals in three Pennsylvania rural communities. Data concerning the range and intensity of informal activities were used to test the hypothesis that a positive relationship exists between formal and informal participation of individuals in rural society. In general, this hypothesis was substantiated by the evidence on eighteen selected types of informal activities. However, more research is needed, not only on the roles played within various informal groups but also on participation in other areas of informal activities than those reported in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Sociologia Ruralis is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Sociologia Ruralis is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The author introduces the January 1962 issue of "Sociologia Ruralis." This special issue contains the addresses given and the discussions which took place, at the Third Congress of the European Society for Rural Sociology in September 1962. In this way the author hopes to make known the results of this international exchange of experience, in the field of rural sociology and rural planning, to those members who were unable to attend the congress, as well as to the wider public which is interested in this subject. Some papers published in this issue have had to be shortened. All contributions to discussions were not committed to paper by the speakers. The order of the official programme has been followed in the following pages and modifications which were made during the Congress for expediency are ignored. The author tanks those who have contributed for the publication of this issue.

The decade of the seventies thus far has witnessed a considerable amount of legislative attention directed at rural areas. Under the general heading or rural development no fewer than 48 bills were introduced in the first session of the 92nd Congress in the House of Representatives and 22 bills were introduced in the U.S. Senate. Few of these became law but the sheer numbers give some indication as to the political importance of the issues involved. The purpose of this paper is to focus on a portion of one of the most important pieces of rural development legislation, the Rural Development Act of 1972 (RDA-72). This article traces the legislative history and the philosophical assumptions of RDA-72 with particular regard to the provisions of rural industrialization in the U.S.

The article presents information about several projects, programs, and personalities in the field of sociology. The "Community Mental Health Journal" has been founded to facilitate communication among professionals in the field. The first issue will be published early in 1965. It will contain articles on research and evaluation, program development, and theoretical issues. According to another information, the Department of Agricultural Economics at the University of Illinois is holding a workshop-seminar in rural sociology from December 2-4, 1964. The theme of the seminar is "Rural Sociology: Its Development, Problems, Substantive Significance, and Contributions in University Programs." Major papers will be contributed by Paul A. Miller, president of West Virginia University; Olaf F. Larson, Cornell University; and George M. Beal, Iowa State University. The article also contains information about some personalities in the field of sociology. William B. Baker, director of Centre for Community Studies, University of Saskatchewan, was awarded an honorary doctorate in May by North Dakota State University.

Data on educational participation and attitudes toward the educational process and institutions are drawn from a comprehensive cross-sectional socioeconomic survey conducted in rural interior Lebanon. The conclusions suggest a considerably higher level of participation, concern, and affluence with regard to the place of formal education in the lives of the Arab peasants who make up the bulk of the sample than is sometimes anticipated. In the course of a random sample socioeconomic survey conducted in the interior of southern Lebanon in 1954 data were collected on educational participation and attitudes. The participation material has been published elsewhere and will be referred to here only where relevant to the present discussion. The specific concern of this paper is a description of the quality and direction of educational orientation as reflected in opinion and attitude statements of a cross section of household heads in one of the larger villages in the original study. Many of the findings in the school participation phase of this research are clearly related to the attitudinal responses which are to be reported in the present paper.

Copyright of Sociologia Ruralis is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Sociologia Ruralis is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper examines the relationship between level of aspiration and income among low-income farm operators. Data were obtained from a sample of commercial farm operators in a rural development pilot county in Pennsylvania. It is shown that economic aspirations tend to be oriented away from the farm to other sources of family income. This suggests that programs intended to assist the low-income farmer who wishes to stay in agriculture may need to be built around other than economic goal orientations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on a study of a rural school district in the Piedmont section of North Carolina. Two major industrial cities were accessible to residents of the district. Dependency on these cities had increased since the turn of the century, including a recent upsurge in employment of district residents in urban industry. Conceptualization of the interaction of the neighborhoods of the school district in the context of the metropolitan community was accomplished by the use of the concept "boundary maintenance." Institutions, community organization and social stratification were analyzed as boundary mechanisms. Although change on a wide front had occurred, the school district retained considerable stability. The social organization of the district became more like that found in urban centers. Consolidation of schools brought the neighborhoods into a larger territorial unit, that had become more than an administrative entity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most of the statistics on the rural population from the 1950 census are based on a new definition of urban-rural residence which differs in several respects from the old definition used in previous censuses. This paper indicates the nature of these changes in definition and their effects on the size of the rural population in the United States as a whole and in the individual states. It also examines the characteristic pattern of urban-rural growth in metropolitan areas as an explanation of urban-rural differences (in terms of the old definition) among the states in the rate of growth in the decade 1940-1950. This examination suggests that, for states, rural rates of increase which exceed the corresponding urban rates reflect the rapid growth of population in suburban areas rather than an increase in the open-country or rural-farm population. Finally, it indicates that the new urban definition represents a step in the direction of a more realistic classification of the population into its urban and rural parts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Rural Sociology is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Rural Sociology is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Rural Sociology is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Nearly 2,000,000 of our farms now use central station electric power. Not much of this farm electrification very recent, but the social aspects and implications of this new factor in rural life have received very little objective investigation. In this paper a variety of questions believed to be worthy of and suited to investigation are raised: Does electrification increase taint income and farm value? What are its effects upon tenant mobility and cityward migration of youth? How does the farmer use his electricity? Does he thereby have more leisure; and if so, how is his leisure used? Why do a considerable number of farmers along the lines not use electricity, and what are the social implications of such nonuse in juxtaposition with neighboring Does this new development, particularly through cooperatives, have significant implications as to the size, organization, and governmental consciousness of the community? Does rural electrification contribute to rural-urban understandings? To what extent is rural electrification a directional force in the adjustment of agriculture in our problem areas? Some general aspects of methodology are briefly dealt with [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper gives the results of a partial analysis of the "Standard Community Association" plan as it was developed in Missouri. The principal items included in this program were: (1) Leadership; (2) community planning; (3) recreation; and (4) dramatics. This project was started as a combination of demonstration and experiment. The general findings indicate that: (1) This form of community organization appears to have merit as a medium of developing social and economic planning on a community basis; (2) Insofar as the plan is a stereotyped one, it cannot be generally applied to all types of small communities; (3) This comprehensive structural type of community development involving a set procedure should be applied only under the most favorable conditions, and not until a thorough analysis of the community has been made; (4) The idea of the community as a working unit appears to be sound; (5) Probably one of the best plans for the development of most rural communities is that of helping existing local organizations to pursue their own work on a community-wide basis in the most effective manner; and (6) Communities generally are in need of help in developing leadership, and programs of work. a [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The theme for this Third World Congress for Rural Sociology was selected by a working group, which met in Rome, Italy at FAO headquarters in the summer of 1969. This group included eminent scholars with diverse national and cultural backgrounds. It, therefore, must be considered a commentary on the appropriateness of the theme selected that a consensus was achieved in a relatively short period of time. This theme, Development Policies and Rural Life, was considered in keeping with research and action programs, which were being implemented by rural sociologists and other social scientists in almost all nations of the world. In light of the serious nature of the deliberation with regards to the theme and program of the Congress and in view of the objective which inspired the decisions, it occurred to the author that it would be appropriate to attempt a paper which was keynoted on ways to lessen the degree of incoherence and incongruity which characterizes the arena within which sociologists contemplate the field of rural development. According to the author, his tact has been to scrutinize as objectively as possible the two separate but inextricably related issues over which controversy is centered.

Copyright of Sociologia Ruralis is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Sociologia Ruralis is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Sociologia Ruralis is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Sociologia Ruralis is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Sociologia Ruralis is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article discusses the effect of innovations on patterns of rural development and in particular on output per acre and on labor input per acre. Data from a sample of 240 smallholdings in five different areas of Malawi are examined. The article indicates that the existence of differing patterns of rural development in these areas. It discusses the implications for rural development policy. The article shows a bias among the smallholders in favor of innovations and a skepticism about the viability of yield increasing innovations.

Comments on the rate of technological changes in Victorian agriculture for the period of 1870-1910 in Australia. Scrutiny on the major investment plants in the country; Implications of the advancements with the productivity of the rural sector; Consequences of the technological change on the input and output in the country.

In this article, it is argued that the usual contents of the concepts modern and traditional are insufficient to account for the presence or absence of agricultural development. The use of the concepts may even have led to a certain neglect by rural sociologists of the structural factors affecting development. A more accurate way is suggested of classifying the variables influencing the farmers' innovativeness under the headings ignorance, inability, and unwillingness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Northern Ireland is an integral part of the United Kingdom, although autonomous so far as agricultural policy is concerned. It differs from the rest of the country in the small size of its farms and in the low fertility of much of the soil. The population had built up in the past a mode of social cooperation among contiguous farm families based on kinship and the ties of neighborhood. The independence of the individual, inherent in the traditional Protestantism of the country, was mitigated by these cooperative groups. The breakdown of this system is described and the new governmental influences which seek to replace it are mentioned. The concepts behind this legislative action are shown to require a particular type of response from the farmers. Certain facts are given to show that this hypothetical interpretation of the behavior of the farmers in recent years may be correct. A method by which the behavior pattern might be altered is suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comparative analysis was made of the social participation of individuals in four rural communities of the Northeast. A participation scale involving both formal and informal organizations was used. This scale previously developed to measure participation of households, with the minor changes of dropping family visiting and trips to village items, showed high validity as an instrument for ascertaining the extent of social participation of individuals. The communities were generally similar in distribution of individuals by participation scores; in the direction and degree of differences in participation by family status and by age groups; and in the consistency and degree of relationship of participation with socioeconomic status and occupation-residence. Variations in participation among the four communities appeared to be due largely to manifest situational differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper extends the argument that cattle ranching and ranchers can be better understood by viewing the ranch resource as generating both production and consumption outputs. It was found that nonmonetary outputs of ranch ownership are the most significant factors in explaining high sale prices of Arizona ranches. Land fundamentalism, rural fundamentalism, and con. spicuous consumption/speculative attitudes arc the most important of these consumption outputs. The analysis suggests that small town viability and growth in the arid Southwest, and possibly in the West as a whole, may be more likely to occur if rural development policies are not predicated on the economic impact of surrounding ranches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of "disguised" unemployment plays an important role in development theorizing, yet its empirical content is uncertain. This paper studies the problem in rural East Pakistan, a densely-populated rice-producing area of South Asia. It is shown, using data on output and workers per acre and cropped acreage, that between 1951 and 1961 the degree of "disguised" unemployment increased sharply, amounting to some 20 percent of the 1961 labor force. This is attributed to the rapid population growth, which had begun two decades earlier, plus the fixed supply of other [actors. The labor surplus that developed seems to have been largely "disguised" through work-sharing, that is, a reduction in average hours worked per worker. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents information on several books related to politics, industrialization and sociology. The book "A Soviet View of the American Past," is an annotated translation of the section on American history appearing in the Great Soviet Encyclopedia. The brochure "The Church and the Rural Development Program," outlines the opportunities open to pastors of rural churches to improve conditions in their communities through cooperation in the Rural Development program administered by the United States Department of Agriculture. The church has concern for the wise use of the earth's resources and believes that proper conservation of natural and human resources are basic to the fulfillment of Christian stewardship. The book "British Industrialists: Steel and Hosiery, 1850-1950," by Charlotte Erickson is an attempt to provide an empirical basis for generalizations about British industrial leadership during the century in which her role in world manufacturing was transformed from that of quasi-monopolist to one of competitor with many other countries.

The article presents a report on the Second Rehovot Conference that was held in August 1963 in Israel. The conference was called in order to enable the scientists and the political leaders of developing countries to exchange views and establish meaningful communication on the overall topic of the comprehensive planning of agriculture in developing countries. The Conference included 90 representatives from 3 8 countries and from a number of major international organizations. The report was divided into three parts; Agricultural Planning and Rural Development edited by researcher A. Rokach, The Human Factor in Agricultural Development, edited by researcher Naomi Nevo, Agricultural Research, Extension and Education, edited by researcher J. Meir. The advantage of the method discussed in the meeting is that an expert who wants to study specific material relative to his own particular sphere of interest will now find it easier to do so. Another advantage is that the reader can follow discussions, which are sometimes fascinating and lively and can see contradictory statements in direct connection with each other.

Examines the importance of non-farm activities in promoting rural employment in Iran, India and Syria. Contribution of non-farm activities to rural development; Conclusion.

Focuses on problems and strategies in rural development. Components of a rural development program; Importance of an integrated approach in tackling the problems in the rural sector.

The article provides an analysis of policy options for rural development. It discusses the styles of rural development and the salient features of the green revolution. The article argues that technical change in rural areas leads to greater specialization and division of labor and to greater social differentiation. It takes into account the fact that conflict of interest arises not only between the landed elite and the peasantry as a whole, but also within the peasantry.

This article looks into the significant growth in many small towns and rural areas adjacent to metropolitan regions in the U.S. The 1970 U.S. Census figures reveal that 17 states had nonmetropolitan growth rates in excess of 10 percent during the decade of the 1960s. Of these, seven are Western states namely Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, Colorado, Alaska and Nevada and eight are in the Northeast, which include Maryland, Delaware, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Jersey and Connecticut. The two remaining states are Florida and Michigan. In addition to the objective indication of a resurgence of certain growth in rural areas, there is a stated subjective preference on the part of many Americans for small town and rural life.

The concern of this report is a comparison of the varying group memberships and orientations between community leaders and non- leaders. Also investigated are the orientational differences for both leaders and nonleaders associated with the community being either urban or rural. Leaders were more likely than nonleaders to belong to co-ordinative community groups and to reflect a coordinative orientation by naming one or more coordinative community needs. Both leaders and nonleaders in the urban community were more likely to reflect a coordinative orientation than their respective counterparts in the rural community. This difference appeared to associate with high levels of education and occupational positions held by leaders and nonleaders in the urban community as compared to the rural community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article comments on agrarian reform policies and development in the Arab countries. In recent years, agrarian reform has received great attention in many countries of the world, especially in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. With the exception of Saudi Arabia and Yemen, all Arab countries were once under foreign occupation. Most rural people were dominated by feudal landlords, and as a result rural development received very little attention. In Iraq, for example, British authorities perpetuated the land system of the Ottoman Empire and encouraged the absentee landlords and tribal chiefs of rural areas to strengthen their power. The newly independent Arab countries inherited the problems of highly concentrated landownership, a complicated system of share tenancy, an extreme degree of social stratification, and a large peasant population with a low level of living. It has been difficult for these countries to overcome the hopelessness of the peasants and to improve rural conditions. Although there is some absentee landlordism in Lebanon, most of the farms in this country are small and fragmented, and in some areas the income of the farmer is meager. Because mortgages on farms are usually unavailable, farmers are forced to borrow from moneylenders at exorbitant interest rates. This has discouraged many rural dwellers from self-improvement and has brought about their migration to Beirut and other urban areas.

To understand the social implications of rural African development one must first understand the relation between traditional social organization and economic structure in primitive and peasant communities. Case studies show that unsuccessful development occurs where an increase in production for sale is unaccompanied by technological and cultural innovations: traditional economy and society are forced to change without new modes of integration being formed, and without sustained growth in income forthcoming. Successful development requires mutually reinforcing innovations in economy, technology, and culture which induce sustained growth in income over successive generations, and integrate the local community with the region, the nation and the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Suggests a number of measures which might be taken to achieve rural development and a more rational agricultural mechanization policy in Pakistan. Private benefits of mechanization in the country; Result of using tractors instead of tenants.

Presents an outline of rural manpower assessment and planning in developing countries. Examination of what manpower is available for rural development; How productive employment can be created.

Discusses the conditions that have to be satisfied to make a realistic national policy of employment in rural areas. Effects of these prerequisites on the French-speaking countries of Africa south of Sahara; Need for appropriate administrative machinery; Outline of the practical problems encountered in the main types of rural promotion project.

Describes a pilot project for rural employment promotion in western Nigeria. Aim of a rural development policy; Role of the public sector.

Focuses on a study which described the general economic and social characteristics of integrated rural development in several West African countries. Role of social research in the study of integrated rural development; Suggestions for the preparation and execution of integrated rural development.

The annual meeting of the Rural Sociological Society (RSS) was called to order by president James H. Copp. Members present included Murray A. Straus, Charles L. Cleland, Glenn V. Fuguitt, Rabel J. Burdge, Harold R. Capener, Thomas R. Ford, Kenneth P. Wilkinson, W. Keith Warner, Wade H. Andrews, Frederick C. Fliegel, Glenn C. McCann, and Howard M. Sauer. The Council moved, seconded, and passed that one dispenses with the reading of the minutes from the January 1972 Council meeting. Fifteen of the first 16 reports listed in the business meeting were discussed and accepted by the Council. A report by Straus on the AAAS Council was discussed and accepted at the Council meeting. The Council moved, seconded, and passed a few actions. The Publications Committee review recent recommendations of the Development Committee and others to consider ways of meeting currently unmet communication needs of the RSS. Specific reference was made to the function of the newsletter and the fastest and best outlet for the Bulletin Index.

The article presents an index of various books dealing with rural sociology. Some of the books on issues related to population, labor force and migration include "Farm Population by Race, Tenure, and Economic Scale of Farming: 1960-1970," by Vera J. Banks and Calvin L. Beale, "Projected Population Growth in North Carolina by Age, Sex, and Color: 1970-1980," by William B. Clifford and R. David Mustian, and "Florida's Urbanized Rural Population: Implications for Planning," by T. Stanton Dietrich. Books on issues related to ecology, use of physical and natural resources, include "Experience and Location as Factors Influencing Income From Commercial Catfish Enterprises," by J.L. Adrian and E.W. McCoy, "Social Aspects of Flodding in the Urbanized East Salt Lake County Area," by Wade H. Andrews, William C. Dunaway and Dennis C. Geertsen, "Fertilizer Recommendations and Computer Program Key Used by the Soil Testing Laboratory," by J.T. Cope, and "Rural Reconstruction Programme Developed Through the Contribution of Rural Institutions in Taiwan," by Min-Hsioh Kwoh.

This article deals with the place of tradition in the development of rural societies. It focuses specifically on symbolic contents and institutional organization of traditions, rather than on the no less central but more often studied problem of the social structure and the group composition underlying traditions. The discussion falls into two parts. First, the inadequacy of many of the existing studies on the subject is shown, chiefly in that they approach tradition and change in one-sided or situation-bound ways and do not set out either to examine comparatively the range of variability existing between the two or to analyze systematically the factors accounting for this variability. Then, some generalized variables relevant to the issue are hypothesized, relating both to the static implications of traditions for development, and to changes in traditions themselves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rural development is seen inferentially as a normatively defined policy goal rather than a theoretical construct. Although rural sociologists have assumed that their discipline is central to rural development, their contributions have been minor because of deficits in substantive knowledge and symptom-oriented emphases on infrastructure and provision of services within recent federal administrations. The retardation of substantive knowledge growth is traced to the socialization role and social milieu of rural sociologists. A number of problem areas meriting attention are indicated, all of which appear to be core concerns of the discipline in its macrosociological mode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]