This book is the first in a series reporting on our work conducted under the auspices of the UK Economic and Social Research Council’s Countryside Change Initiative (1988–93). The work assesses the processes of rural change in the advanced economies, with a focus on the British experience. It is aimed at a wide audience of researchers, graduates and undergraduates in a range of social science disciplines. This first book presents our conceptual approach to the study of rural change. Its aim is to redirect and re-invigorate social science enquiry into questions of rural development in advanced economies by developing a new perspective on the nature of change and the methodological tools necessary to investigate it. Amongst the many colleagues who have given us their support we are particularly grateful to Jacquie Burgess, Fred Buttel, Graham Cox, David Goodman, Carolyn Harrison, Norman Long, Michael Redclift, Neil Ward and Sarah Whatmore. We are particularly indebted to Julie Grove-Hills, who worked with us for three years on the Cumbria case study under the Countryside Change Initiative. We would also like to thank Patsy Healey for allowing us to reproduce Figure 5.1. Thanks are also due to Mary Anne, Joseph and Hannah Marsden, Suki and Jake Rynn, and David Shields who typed every line (including this one) and helped administer the project.