New concepts and a synthesis of existing theories may assist in studying the relationship between social structure, development and rural development. The concept of social structure encompasses the concept of economic structure which may be analysed in terms of three "Moments" of production. On this basis, one can distinguish between heterogeneous and homogeneous relations of production structures. "Homogeneous relations" together with "system dynamics" and ''reproduction", define the concept of a mode of production. "Development" refers to the expansion of total productive capacity, premissed on advanced means of production, and corresponding to the particular relations and forces of production in an economic system. The capitalist mode of production has both tendencies and countertendencies to development. The latter prevail in the Third World due to the admixture and heterogeneity of production relations there, and to their subordinate articulation within an international capitalist economic system. In this context, underdevelopment is the result of the specific factors of monopoly competition, dependence-extraversion, disarticulation-unevenness, the three-tier structure of the peripheral economy, surplus transfer, and class structures and struggles. Rural development can be understood in terms of the specific contribution of agriculture to development, theorized as the "Agrarian Question". Agrarian capitalism has been slow to develop in the Third World, and the state of agriculture remains a problem there. "Rural development" has emerged as a deliberate and interventionist state strategy designed to restructure agrarian relations for development. This has contributed to the formation of particular heterogeneous relations of production articulated to the capitalist mode. In this context, the character of the associated classes has left the Agrarian Question unresolved. "Rural development" continues because it has an important~ and even primary, political significance - although this is not without contradictions.

The meeting of the basic needs of people, particularly the poor, has come to be an important focus of rural development efforts in the Third World. This is largely due to the realization that the benefits of previous development efforts have not reached the poor. The basic needs concept of development places the focus on the ends of development. This means a direct attack on poverty through meeting the basic human requirements of the neediest segment of society, the poor. There are two approaches that can be taken when one adopts the basic needs concept as the theoretical framework for a project. The first is a top down effort concerned with satisfying basic needs as quickly as possible and is referred to in this thesis as a technocratic approach to meeting basic needs. The second is concerned with developing a sustainable project based on the community so that it can continue to meet its basic needs and is referred to in this thesis as a community development approach to meeting basic needs. The purpose of this thesis is to identify those elements in the planning process that contribute to the success of efforts to meet basic needs in developing countries. Success is defined as the meeting of immediate and long term water needs leading to improvements in health, economic and social conditions of communities. To accomplish this objective a literature review of efforts to meet the basic need of water is undertaken. The focus is on identifying elements found in the literature, dominated by advocates of the community development approach to meeting basic needs, which contributed to the success of rural water supply projects in providing an adequate supply of water to the poor. These success elements can be grouped in the following five categories: appropriate knowledge; appropriate technology; appropriate institutions; appropriate support; and community participation. The assumption articulated by most writers is that each of these five elements is an essential part of a community development approach to meeting basic needs. There is very little in the literature on the technocratic approach, yet it is used in practice. A case study of a rural water supply project in Kenya, East Africa, which used a technocratic approach, was undertaken with the expectation that it would show a lack of success because of its failure to include the five elements of the community development approach. In fact, the project was found to be a success. However, the study did reveal that the planners involved in the project now believe that, for the long run sustainability of the project, it is vital to make the five elements of the community development approach an essential part of the project. The main conclusion of the thesis is that a project using a technocratic approach to meeting basic needs can succeed in the short run but that for this project to continue to be successful there comes a point where the elements assumed to be part of the community development approach to meeting basic needs must be included. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of / Graduate

Thesis (M.Dev.) --University of Limpopo, 2011 / The study investigates the impact of LED projects funded by the DHSD on poverty alleviation in the Bakenberg area of the Mogalakwena Municipality. The DHSD established more than ten different types of projects in the area to alleviate poverty in the local area. The Bakenberg area is part of the Mogalakwena Municipality and is characterized by high poverty rate and unemployment. It is also regarded as one of the rural areas of the Municipality. The study used a case study methodology and a mixture of quantitative and qualitative research designs. The stratified random sampling method with a sample size of sixty (60) was used to collect data from various projects in the six categories. Data were collected by using the unstructured face-to-face interview method. The data were then analysed using the Moonstats Windows 14.0 to describe frequency tables, plotted pie and bar graphs for the quantitative study and the thematic method of analysis for the qualitative study. The key findings of the study were based on core issues, such as the profiles of the respondents that indicated that the majority of the research participants were females. Most of the LED projects had a problem of marketing their products, and this needed urgent attention. LED projects make an impact on job creation, sustainable livelihoods and social capital among project members and their communities. The study recommends that committed individuals who take part in poverty alleviation should be considered for funding rather than to provide state grants only to groups of people. Resources such as transport should be provided to projects in local areas to access any type of market. LED projects should install palisade and electric security fences around projects to prevent theft within the projects. The study also recommends that a stipend of R500 should be paid to each youth who joins the LED projects to encourage the youth to participate in LED projects.

Photocopy of typescript. / Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1980. / Bibliography: leaves 406-428. / Microfiche. / xiii, 428 leaves, bound ill. 28 cm

Diss. Uppsala : Sveriges lantbruksuniv., 2004.

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