This title, originally published in 1981, explores the difficult, and at times volatile, relationship between public choice and rural development in developing countries. 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?