This volume presents the results of a fruitful cooperation between the International Labour Office, Cornell University and the University of California at Berkeley. The papers were presented at a Conference which took place in December 1991 at Cornell University. As the title suggests, the main objective of the Conference was to address a central question: what are the implications for rural development of the major changes in development theory as well as in development strategies in the world, particularly the shift from a state-sponsored to a marketoriented approach? The different papers attempted to answer this question, drawing on different disciplines and looking at different aspects. The result is a rich debate and equally rich insights into this problem. The ILO was particularly honoured to share in this endeavour, given its history in support of rural development since its inception in 1919. This history reflects, to a large extent, the evolution of thought in the field of rural development in general.