Quarterly Notes
| Published date | 01 July 1968 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1002/j.1099-162X.1968.tb00342.x |
| Date | 01 July 1968 |
Quarterly Notes
BRITAIN-Comment
on the 1968
Cambridge
Conference
on
Development
From
D. S.
THORNTON.
Dr.
Thornton
is in the Department of Agricultural Economics at the University of
Reading.
Objectives
The
objectives were defined as follows:
"to
exchange ideas and experience on this subject
of
'The
Rural Base for
National Development' and to record opinions and propositions which
emerge and which will be
of
practical use to all agencies and countries
concerned with rural development."
Procedure
These
objectives were pursued by means
of
(a) Papers prepared in advance
of
the Conference
(b) Study Group discussion
of
material contained in and arising from
the papers.
(c) Plenary discussion
of
propositions arising from the work
of
the study
groups.
Retrospective
Comment
(i)
The
location and conduct
of
the ten days
of
conference provided an
excellent opportunity for both formal and informal exchange of ideas and
experience (the first objective).
Not
alittle
of
the success here was due to the
hospitality
of
the hosts and to the mood of friendly combativeness inspired
by the chairman.
(ii)
Most
of
the papers and a large
part
of
the discussion were set at a
rather general level.
The
resulting propositions were therefore necessarily
very general. On
the
whole the propositions relevant to Heads IV and V
led to more fundamental argument than Heads I and
III.
(iii) Some topics received rather more detailed treatment
than
others.
Thus
Education and Research were widely considered, the institutions and
processes
of
planning rather little.
(iv) Insofar as one learns most from active participation in discussion
the
time spent in study groups was probably the most valuable
of
the organised
activities.
(v) It would be difficult to pinpoint the degree to which the Conference
had been
of
"practical
use";
it is unlikely that the general propositions
which emerged could conceivably form the basis
of
specific policies. Never-
the-less the proceedings had a general educative value and
the
contacts made
informally will no doubt be
of
great practical value in many instances in the
future.
Suggestions
for future
occasions
(i) Home based administrators
and
academics and visitors from Africa
tended to dominate
the
conference to the exclusion
of
representatives from
the
Middle East, Asia and Latin America.
It
is to be hoped that in future
To continue reading
Request your trial