A. About

Core Sciences offered by the Master Degree Program in Regional and Rural Development is the development of inclusive villages based on planning and territorial intervention by local residents with local resource capital and for local people. The territory's wealth is for its citizens. The interaction with the outside world of the territory is endeavored for minimal leakage of territory's wealth and profitable exchanges.

Territory resources are not only natural and human but also cultural. The village is more than just agriculture. All sectors of the economy can be turned to complement each other to improve the lives of citizens with minimal leakage of territorial wealth.

To be inclusive, territorial development should be broad based approaches, by not leaving one in the territory. Technical, administrative, sociological, anthropological, economic, and cultural challenges and constraints are here. Researches of this Master degree program should recognize these challenges and constraints and seek to develop a perspective science to overcome them all. Such challenges to be answered by this study program, are:

• How should development be planned and managed with reference to the concept of inclusive rural development?
• How to make rural development not only accommodate the interests of the rural elites (inside or outside rural territory)?
• How can local capacity be developed?
• What should be done at macro level (laws and policies), meso (organizations and local institutions) and micro (households and individuals) in this capacity building efforts?
• How can social capital be developed? What is the role of organizing and leadership in this matter?
• What social protection and what mechanisms must exist to address the risks faced by citizens and citizen business networks in their territories?
• What does the organization of government agencies and agency capacities align with a development approach that implies inclusive rural development, which is requiring collaboration with citizens and among citizens?

Rural development should be an intervention-based on discursive awareness, not merely on instrumental and speculative instrumental awareness. Therefore, Master degree program in Regional and Rural Development at Andalas University is designed to foster graduates awareness about rural social issues through development studies so that they are informed and able to take a positive role in regional and rural development.