Despite high agricultural growth, the Philippine unemployed and underemployed has continued to swell. Rural poverty incidence has remained high and income distribution has become less egalitarian. What went wrong? This paper provides a survey of selected topics and issues in the economics of rural development. This includes concepts and empirical regularities concerning rural growth, linkages, poverty and income distribution; determinants of income diversification and demand and supply factors constraining rural growth linkages. This is to draw implications for public policy and further research on the dynamics of rural development.
