Abstrak
In the last decades, rural East and Southeast Asia have been experiencing remarkable economic transformations. In rural Java two phases can be distinguished. In the 1970s and early 1980s, the changes largely occurred following technological innovations and the related commercialization of wet rice production. Since the late 1980s, the transformation largely stems from migration and transportation as well as marketing improvements. However, in this process of rural diversification in Java, considerable regional differences can be observed. After a brief discussion of theoretical issues, the characteristics of the small-scale industry situated in varying rural contexts are presented. Subsequently, an attempt is made to assess the extent in which local factors can be held responsible for the differences observed.
