The study attempts to redefine the objectives of Asian development in terms of rapid social change and the redistribution of political power to the rural masses via collectivism. Part I, "The Perspective", describes the largely "anti" rural development experiences of four Asian countries (India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, China) in the past quarter century. This reveals certain development directions and principles which are then systemetized into a theory of rural development in the Asian context based on social redirection and transformation, institution building, and a new organizational structure of society founded on mass-rooted leadership and collectivist accumulation. Part II, "Micro-level Development: Design and Evaluation of Rural Development Projects", explores the contradictions of the reality of rural development projects in the study of projects in three Asian villages: Sultanpur, India; the Comilla Experiment in Bangladesh; and the Rural Reconstruction Project in the district of Sankhaburi, Thailand. Propositions which emerge regarding evaluative criteria are applied to the experience of a South Korea village participating in the Saemul Movement. Finally, considerations for the design and evaluation of rural development projects are presented. (SB)