Frank Youngman argues that adult educators need to have an understanding of the various different theories of development, and how different development strategies and biases impact on their own work. The purpose of his book is to provide a theory of applied political economy to explain the interface between society and adult education in developing countries. He introduces adult educators to the main competing theories of development--the modernization, dependency, neo-liberal and various populist approaches. He then demonstrates the power of his own analytical approach by examining specific issues affecting adult education.