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The tiny Himalayan state of Sikkim is well known for its multi-cultural and multi-ethnic identity. There is a political and historical debate regarding the identity of communities in Sikkim. Lepchas are considered as original inhabitants of Sikkim. Currently, Lepcha, Bhutia and Limbu are recognised as minor communities and have Schedule Tribes (ST) status in the state. Individual community concentration is mainly found in North and West Sikkim. Lepcha-Bhutias are found mainly in North Sikkim whereas Limbus are concentrated in West Sikkim. Community concentration is profound in rural areas. Gyalshing sub-division of West Sikkim has been selected for the present study. Purpose of this study is to investigate the Gram Panchayat Unit (GPU) level economy and social development of the rural areas based mainly on secondary sources of information. A field survey was also conducted to interact with the local people. Findings suggest that education and population density are the key determinants for GPU level disparity in social development of the study area. It has been found that the economy is primarily agriculture based and fully organised by organic farming system. Recently, homestay (eco)tourism business has been started here like other parts of Sikkim.

The tiny Himalayan state of Sikkim is well known for its multi-cultural and multi-ethnic identity. There is a political and historical debate regarding the identity of communities in Sikkim. Lepchas are considered as original inhabitants of Sikkim. Currently, Lepcha, Bhutia and Limbu are recognised as minor communities and have Schedule Tribes (ST) status in the state. Individual community concentration is mainly found in North and West Sikkim. Lepcha-Bhutias are found mainly in North Sikkim whereas Limbus are concentrated in West Sikkim. Community concentration is profound in rural areas. Gyalshing sub-division of West Sikkim has been selected for the present study. Purpose of this study is to investigate the Gram Panchayat Unit (GPU) level economy and social development of the rural areas based mainly on secondary sources of information. A field survey was also conducted to interact with the local people. Findings suggest that education and population density are the key determinants for GPU level disparity in social development of the study area. It has been found that the economy is primarily agriculture based and fully organised by organic farming system. Recently, homestay (eco)tourism business has been started here like other parts of Sikkim.

The paper examines some of the main political economy dynamics of the policy initiatives on rural development that have been taken since 2003, and provides an overview of the main issues that they are addressing. The paper first outlines the major agrarian problems that have emerged over the recent decade and more, indicating their main political-economy causations, and then systematically analyses the prospects of the new policy initiatives to deal with them. Among the new policies the initiatives to reorganise the finance system through a reform of the roles of the county and a development of town and township governments to become points of delivery of public goods and social services are highlighted as particularly potent. Further importance is associated with reforms that strengthen the role of rural residents as citizens. The impact of the Chinese government's economic stimulus package in response to the ongoing global financial crisis is yet to become visible, but it is clear that the changes must be backed up with very substantial political and financial commitments.

"The paper examines some of the main political economy dynamics of the policy initiatives on rural development that have been taken since 2003, and provides an overview of the main issues that they are addressing. The paper first outlines the major agrarian problems that have emerged over the recent decade and more, indicating their main political-economy causations, and then systematically analyses the prospects of the new policy initiatives to deal with them. Among the new policies the initiatives to reorganise the finance system through a reform of the roles of the county and a development of town and township governments to become points of delivery of public goods and social services are highlighted as particularly potent. Further importance is associated with reforms that strengthen the role of rural residents as citizens. The impact of the Chinese government's economic stimulus package in response to the ongoing global financial crisis is yet to become visible, but it is clear that the changes must be backed up with very substantial political and financial commitments." (author's abstract)

SUMMARYRural sociologists in North America and Western Europe have shown increasing interest in the issues of rural environmental quality, the structure of agriculture, and rural underdevelopment during the past decade. This paper seeks to demonstrate the profound connections among these phenomena, particularly in terms of how ongoing changes in agricultural structure have had major impacts on both the rural environment and the socioeconomic fabric of rural communities. It is argued that while many of these changes are rooted in the dynamics of the Western capitalist societies, state policy has also been crucial in shaping change in rural society. A case is thereby made that a more holistic or integrative perspective ‐ essentially a political economy ‐ is necessary to understand the origins of these rural social and economic problems and conceptualize strategies through which they can be solved. Selected examples of the application of such a perspective are developed in the final portion of the paper.RésuméEn Amérique du Nord et en Europe Occidentale, les sociologues ruraux se sont de plus en plus intéressés, depuis une dizaine d'annees, aux questions de la qualityé de L'environnement rural, de la structure de l' agriculture et du sous‐développement rural. L'article vise a montrer les liaisons cachées entre ces phénomènes, particulièrement les effets des transformations en cours dans L'agriculture à la fois sur L'environnement rural et sur lc tissu socio‐économique des communautés rurales.II est suggéré que si nombre de ces transformations sont déterminées par la dynamique des sociétés capitalistes occidentales, le role de L'Etat a été crucial dans les formes que ces transformations ont prises dans la société rurale. Il s'ensuit L'idée qui'il est nécessaire de procéder a une approche plus intégrée et plus holistique ‐ essentiellement une économic politique ‐ pour comprendre les origines de ces problèmes sociaux et économiques du monde rural, et pour formuler des stratégies à travers lesquelles ils peuvent être résolus. La dernière partie de L'article développe quelques exemples choisis pour illustrer cettc perspective.ZusammenfassungWährend des letzten Jahrzehnts haben Agrarsoziologen in Nordamerika ebenso wie in Westeuropa wachsendes Interesse für Fragen der Umweltqualität im ländlichen Raum, der Argrarstruktur und der ländlichen Unterentwicklung gezeigt. Dieser Artikel versucht die tieferen Beziehungen zwischen diesen Bereichen aufzuzeigen. Insbesondere wird der Frage nachgegangen, welchen Einfluß die fortwährenden Veränderungen in der Agrarstruktur auf die ländliche Umwelt und die sozioökonomische Struktur ländlicher Gemeinden gehabt haben. Viele dieser Veränderungen haben ihren Ursprung in der Dynamik der kapitalistischen Gesellschaftssysteme der westlichen Welt. Es wird jedoch ausgeführt, daß auch die Politik des Staates entscheidenden Einfluß auf Veränderungen in der ländlichen Gesellschaft hat. In diesem Zusammenhang wird festgestellt, daß eine mehr ganzheitliche oder integrierende Betrachtungsweise ‐ insbesondere der politischen Ökonomie ‐ notwendig ist, urn den Ursprung dieser sozialen und wirtschaftlichen Probleme verstehen und Strategien für deren Lösung entwickeln zu können. Ausgewählte Beispiele der Anwendung einer solchen Betrachtungsweise werden im Schluß des Artikels gegeben.