Six characters (and a few more) in search of an author: how to rescue rural development before it's too late
指出农村发展未获足够重视，因各机构叙事冲突；通过分析欧盟、粮农组织、农发基金和世界银行的政策声明，提出需构建一致叙事，强调多样化、市场建设和减贫共识。
Abstract Rural development has not received the priority and attention warranted by the present and future concentration of poverty in rural areas. Is this perhaps because rural development agencies present conflicting narratives? A framework is presented within which to answer that question, and is then applied to the recent policy statements of the European Union (EU), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), International Fund for Agricultural Deveopment (IFAD), and the World Bank. Each policy statement is compelling in its own way, but the strategies are not consistent. A narrative is needed, which recognizes the rapid pace of change in rural areas, acknowledges the need for diversification out of agriculture, builds market institutions for growth, and works effectively within the current international consensus on poverty reduction, emphasising opportunity, empowerment, and security.