Beyond Urban Bias

Book excerpt: First Published in 1993. This title sets out to spark debate and learn from the urban bias theory. The author suggests that recent political economy research suggests that it is time to redefine the problem of urban bias. Viewed as a collective engagement with the urban bias theory, this volume presents the new research along with the responses of Bates and Lipton. These studies do not add up to an alternative theory of why the state behaves the way it does towards the countryside. They do, however, point to the factors that need careful attention in future research. These papers can be seen as building blocks for the construction of an alternative theory of 'the state and agriculture'.