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In this paper, changes in the socio-economic structure in rural regions have been looked upon in the light of international migration, with special reference to the flow of labour from the Mediterranean into the northern and north-western industrialized countries of Europe. The effects of these increasing manpower movements do not always appear beneficial for both areas. The free movement of labour and capital in Europe implies a concentration and accumulation of economic activity in some few regions, and has the effect of depopulation and deprivation in many other areas. The resistance against the international planning of capital and labour distribution is still dominant among the powerful European pressure groups; also the prejudices against the countryside still operate. In order to increase the attraction of rural areas, breaking the vicious circle has been proposed through an international programme of large-scale investments in the socio-cultural sector of stagnating districts, including the areas where no industrialization may be expected. The increase of the general education level of the rural population can be one of the main stimulants in a development schema. For rural sociologists, this approach implies renewed attention to the study of the possibilities of radical change in rural communities. A successful reduction of the economic and social inequality between the rich and the poor areas in Europe should be a good exercise for the forthcoming development of the Third World. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the paper presented by Dr. Pahl zu on social conditions in the Netherlands. With admirable clarity, displaying an extensive knowledge of the relevant literature, he has demonstrated that the traditional concept of the rural-urban continuum is more an obstacle than a help in the work. Of course, this conclusion as such is not new, as Dr. Pahl himself has shown in his review of recent literature. Any sociologist who has used the concept in his work, has come sooner or later to the finding that one or more elements did not fit in the construct. Whatever the criteria chosen for characterization may be, there is always the case to be found of an urban group behaving 'rural' and of a rural group being 'urban', or, worst of all, one finds rural and urban characteristics within one group or individual. With the description of the situation in 'urban villages' and with the examples taken from studies made in the developing countries, in which all sorts of discontinuities between the urban and the rural come into the view, Dr. Pahl has found strong support for his statements. It is clear that a typology of settlements, from the small to the large, can never form the basis for a continuum which classifies social structures.