Rural change : Issues for social research, social assessment and integrated rural policy

In this paper we examine current issues for social research, social impact assessment (SIA) and policy making for rural areas. The central argument is that current economic restructuring and social change in New Zealand has important implications for rural areas. Changes such as relocation of rural employment and population, institutional reform including new roles for central government, and new strategies for economic growth which emphasise the use of local resources and entrepreneurship, are being promoted, as they are in several Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) member countries (OECD, 1986). We suggest that the longer term social implications of these changes are largely unknown, and require applied social science research. This information needs to be applied to the formulation of public policy and the management of change in rural areas