Public Choice and Rural Development

This title, originally published in 1981, explores the difficult, and at times volatile, relationship between public choice and rural development in developing countries. The book is organised into three major sections: the first section examines important general themes, the second describes how public choice and rural development intertwine in some areas of concern to aid donors, and finally, the third section revisits the major themes discussed in the book and offers further understanding to the critical questions and problems at hand. It is a valuable resource for students interested in environmental studies and development studies.

Preface and Acknowledgements; 1. Introduction 2. Applications of Public Choice Theory to rural Development—A Statement of the Problem 3. Public Choice and rural Development—Free Riders, Lemons, and Institutional Design 4. Public Choice Processes 5. Public Choice Analysis of Institutional Constraints on firewood Production Strategies in the West African Sahel 6. Sociological Analysis of Irrigation Water Management—A Perspective and Approach to Assist Decision Making 7. The Political Economy of Agricultural Extension Services in India 8. Peasant Behavior and Social Change—Cooperatives and Individual Holdings 9. Three Cases of Induced Institutional Innovation 10. Does the Route to Development Pass Through Public Choice?

Clifford S. Russell, Norman K. Nicholson