This volume, number 15 in the Studies in Water Policy and Management Series and joins two other volumes (8 and 10) that collectively summarize a significant part of the post-World War II experience of Western experts and donors with the development and management of irrigation in Third World countries. The evolution of understanding of Third World irrigation issues has been toward a greater appreciation of the potential for augmenting traditional production and water allocation systems with improved institutional arrangements for achieving allocative efficiency and equity. The need for local inputs for planning, system operation, and system maintenance is now widely recognized, as is the need for providing proper motivation for system administrators. The authors of this volume offer improved conceptual frameworks and analytic techniques applied to specific country and regional problems in hopes of edifying future experts and donors.