Conclusion

Abstract

Fundamentals in the new paradigm are not difficult to discern. One absolute fundamental is the retreat of the state. The early critique of conventional rural development focused on the state (Heyer et al., 1981). It was seen as serving the particular interests of national and international dominant social groups rather than general interests. Stated objectives of rural development were often undermined by actual implementation, which was environmentally ruinous and socially regressive. States and the international organisations set up by states played the greatest role in rural development from the 1960s through to the 1980s, and therefore must take the blame for the widespread negative impacts of development on rural societies. As the international concern for poverty and redistribution waned in the 1980s, for a mixture of political and economic reasons, and was transformed into a concern for macro-economic management, so the role of the state has diminished, and the volume and importance of aid (an indicator of the commitment of states) has also lessened.