The present volume is the record of an experiment in interdisciplinary study and dis¬cussion conducted under the joint sponsorship of the ICSSR and the Madras Insti¬tute of Development Studies. The participants in three workshops consisted of social scientists drawn from different disciplines and from various universities and research insti¬tutions, mainly from southern India. The theme of poverty, a problem of great social con¬cern and relevance, was chosen for discussion because it lends itself to interdisciplinary inves¬tigation.
In the first workshop held in Hyderabad in 1974 the ques¬tion discussed was ‘Who are the Poor?’ ‘Regional Planning With Special Reference to the Attack Against Poverty’ was the theme discussed at the second workshop held in Mysore in 1975. In the third workshop held in Coimbatore in 1976, the ‘Indicators of Rural Levels of Living’ were scrutinized.