This paper examines the changes that take place in want patterns when unaccustomed purchasing power is made available to peasant agriculturalists as a result of a recent Government-sponsored development project in the Mexican Gulf Lowlands. It is hypothesized that increased cash income stimulates changes in peasant expenditure patterns and that corresponding changes in wants can be identified. In order to measure the changes that have taken place in expenditure and make inferences about wants, a detailed study has been undertaken of patterns of income and expenditure in a sample group selected within the Plan compared with a control group of peasants outside of the immediate project area. The comparison between the sample groups supports the hypothesis. However, no simple link was found between increased purchasing power and consumption. The initial period of new want development consequent on income increase was characterized by extensive experimental spending on a wide variety of superficial wants, which are unlikely to be incorporated as deep-seated components of the consumption pattern since they are based on short-term impulses prompted by curiosity and prestige motives. Consequently, increased expenditure on want satisfaction had achieved relatively little impact on the standard of living. It was concluded that the main significance of increased income in this context is that it acts as a catalyst to change in wants and brings the consumer to the point where satisfaction of potential wants is possible. Potential wants are not adopted simply because the opportunity is available and the items can be afforded, but only if they are the response to a felt need and have a good fit with the existing cultural matrix. Thus, change in want patterns is a function of change in perception rather than a response to increased income. The value system, then, plays the key role in want development and it appears that change in the value system itself in terms of attitudes, motivations and aspirations, is prerequisite for the development of new wants and the modification of old wants, which in turn stimulates further reformulation of the cultural frame-of-reference. / Arts, Faculty of / Geography, Department of / Graduate

Bibliography: pages 73-77. / The on-going significance of the rural areas in policy formation in South Africa has its roots in the country's spatially skewed population distribution and the persistence of 'oscillating' or 'circular' migration. Thus, rural income (its level, sources and distribution) and rural welfare remain important policy considerations. This thesis, based on a microeconomic study of three Ciskeian villages, examines these issues, and attempts to use the understanding so gained, to consider the likelihood of continued circular migration. Chapter 1 places the study in context, providing necessary background to the research area. Chapter 2 looks at the spatial structure and education levels of households in the three villages studied. Chapter 3 deals with the problem of defining and measuring 'rural household income', whilst Chapter 4 examines the adequacy and distribution of this income, paying attention to how changes in various components of income affect rural income distribution and welfare. This thesis is concluded in Chapter 5 with an analysis of the factors contributing to the persistence of circular migration.

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Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 1989. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 257-276).

The encouragement of rural non-farm activities (RNA), as part of a general development programme, is an alternative strategy for progress in Less Developed Countries (LDCs). A shift of labour from low productive agricultural employment to non-agricultural employment in the rural areas of LDCs could enhance incomes in those countries. This thesis focuses on Sri Lanka as an example of a Less Developed Country and analyses the growth pattern of RNA from Sri Lanka's independence in 1948 to the present day. The thesis poses several questions. Why were employment changes slow during the last four decades? Why were there variations in the regional growth of RNA? What factors contributed to the patterns of spatial distribution and regional growth in RNA? This thesis proposes a conceptual scheme of RNA growth and tests several hypotheses to answer these questions. Data used in this thesis were derived from three levels of magnitude: macro (national), meso (regional), and micro (village). The macro and meso level information were obtained from secondary sources. The micro level (information came from a field survey conducted in Sri Lanka during 1986 and 1987. The data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS:X) at the University of British Columbia. The thesis finds that the growth of RNA varies regionally and is concentrated in two contrasting occupational categories. The first category is characterized by low levels of productivity, skills and income. The second category is often government-related and employs persons with higher status and education. Regionally significant growth in both types was seen in fringe areas of the city of Colombo and in areas of state investment for agricultural development. RNA growth was largely due to the changes in the age structure of the population. Population grew rapidly in 1950s and 1960s which led to rapid labour force growth in 1970s. Slow structural change and poor performance of the economy retarded the expansion of employment opportunities leading to open unemployment, under-employment and landlessness. Household employment strategies varied in the rural areas. The increased labour force among the low income households encouraged part-time, seasonal and low paying RNA. The middle and upper income groups using educational facilities provided by the state in the rural areas qualified for government related occupations. By providing social and economic welfare benefits for the rural people, by expanding the state sector employment opportunities and by encouraging migration of labour to agricultural development areas, the post-independence Sri Lankan governments influenced the employment situation and the growth of RNA. Direct government intervention for the creation of RNA has not always had the desired effect because RNA expansion is also influenced by social, ethnic and political considerations which often lead to unexpected consequences. Therefore, conclusions derived from the analysis of Sri Lanka's RNA growth alone may not be adequate to develop policy prescriptions for the implementation in other LDCs. / Arts, Faculty of / Geography, Department of / Graduate

Typescript (photocopy). / Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

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This dissertation explores the dynamics of market relationships in a regional vegetable market in the Serra da Ibiapaba, Ceara, Northeast Brazil. During the last two decades this region has undergone a rapid socio-economic transformation involving the widespread adoption of intensive cropping patterns and modern farming technology. Vegetable, especially tomato, production has increased the economic viability of small-farm alternatives; however, farmers now find themselves caught up in market forces over which they have little control. The Ibiapaba vegetable market supplies four large urban markets within Brazil's North/Northeast, and the structure of the supply channels to each market varies significantly. Analysis of a middleman sample reveals that this market accommodates remarkable diversity--small and undercapitalized marketers, large truckowners, and several variations between these extremes. Not only is this market open to many types of market enterprise, it also provides an opportunity for upward mobility, the major mechanism of which is the purchase of a truck. The highly perishable nature of vegetable products and the organizational exigencies of long distance marketing make this profession extremely risk-laden. Not only do market participants face highly variable prices, but also rigid schedule demands. Since these products cannot be stored, middlemen must be able to maintain both regular supply lines and secure buyers, and they respond to these requirements by constantly devising, testing, and revising behavioral strategies which minimize such inherent market risks. Evidence suggests that different types of middlemen have access to different types of strategies: middlemen with abundant resources enjoy definite advantages over their less fortunate counterparts. These comparative advantages can result in greater financial reward and ultimately in a larger share of the market. Vegetable farmers also face risks in a market characterized by extreme price variation and poor local infrastructure. They also confront this instability through the elaboration of behavioral strategies which often involve a loss of relative bargaining power with middlemen. A comparison of producers from two separate municipics of the region reveals the importance of improving information flow to farmers. It is critical that farmers increase their marketing skills. This dissertation employs both standard economic price analyses as well as traditional anthropological methods to account for middleman and farmer market behavior. A model of market dynamics outlines the process middleman response to new opportunities in the socio-economic environment, and generates hypotheses regarding the long-range effects of increased market activity within a capitalist framework. The dissertation concludes with a discussion of market system performance, defined not only in terms of the efficient allocation of resources, but also with regard to distributional outcomes of market trends. The trade-off between market growth and distributional equity is considered with respect to the specific characteristics of the Ibiapaba region.