CONTENTS Overview SECTION I : RURAL-URBAN DYNAMICS: THE 'DIVIDE' PERSPECTIVE 1 Changing Role and Objectives of Rural Development in South Asia 3 UNESCAP 2 Rural and Urban Dynamics and Poverty : Evidence from China and India 15 Shenggen Fan, Connie Chan-Kang and Anit Mukherjee 3 The Rural-Urban Divide in India 45 S Rajagopalan SECTION II : RURAL-URBAN DYNAMICS: THE 'LINKAGES' PERSPECTIVE 4 Beyond Rural Urban: Keeping up with Changing Realities 61 James Garrett 5 Rural-Urban Linkages and Pro-Poor Agricultural Growth: An Overview 68 Cecilia Tacoli 6 Rural-Urban Links in India: New Policy Challenges for Increasingly Mobile Populations 90 Priya Deshingkar SECTION III : BRIDGING THE RURAL-URBAN GAP 7 How to Make Rural India Shine 109 S Mahendra Dev 8 Microfinance: Providing Access to Financial Services in Rural India 132 Vipin Sharma 9 E-Choupal: Transforming Rural India through Technology 140 Nadarajan Gayatri Devi 10 Telemedicine in Rural India 158 Sanjit Bagchi SECTION IV : RURAL-URBAN SCENARIO: COUNTRY PROFILES 11 The Rural-Urban Divide and the Evolution of Political Economy in China 167 John Knight, Li Shi and Lina Song 12 Rural and Urban Development Case S tudy - Bangladesh 192 Tim Ruffer and Nadia Masud 13 Rural and Urban Development Case S tudy - Nigeria 215 Tim Ruffer 14 Portrait of Rural America - Challenges and Opportunities 235 LaStar Matthews and William H Woodwell, ]r. Index 247