The result of a rural development conference, this publication emphasizes the theory of rural public service planning and is addressed to middle and/or top level planners and public administrators and/or researchers concerned with the delivery of public services. The objectives of this 12-paper collection are: to review existing methods and procedures for rural planning; to examine the consequences of these procedures; and to propose alternative priority and implementation strategies that might better reflect the special needs and problems of rural areas. Papers are titled as follows: (1) "Political Models and the Planning Function"; (2) "A Planning Framework for Rural Public Sector Analysis"; (3) "Citizen Participation in the Planning Process"; (4) "A Strategy for Establishing Planning Priorities"; (5) "Multiplicity of Local Governments: A Logical Explanation"; (6) "A Methodology for Planning Community Service Delivery under Scarcity and Conflict"; (7) "Planning Service Delivery Systems for Rural, Sparsely Populated Areas"; (8) "The Planner as Implementer: Planning Roles"; (9) "Cost and Benefits of Alternative Strategies for Interagency Coordination"; (10) "Administration and Politics in the Interorganizational Analysis"; (11) "Organizational Prerequisites for Land Use Planning to Integrate Public Services"; (12) "Linking Research with Planning: Some Implications and Approaches". (JC)