Research Paper (postgraduate) from the year 2011 in the subject Sociology - Culture, Technology, Peoples / Nations, grade: none, University of Alexandria (College of agriculture), course: Rural sociology, language: English, abstract: The findings of a sample study of 257 villages in Egypt illustrate the salience of social and cultural variables in shaping community level of development. Existence and efficiency of organizations in Egypt ranked at the top of predictors with regard to direct causal effect on village development level. These organizations include the local governance unit, the social unit including a government directed community development association, village bank, schools, mosques and churches, agricultural cooperative, veterinary unit, youth and women associations (also governmentally directed), health units or village hospital, police unit (security organization), ... etc. A very small indirect effect is also played by these organizations through their being a small part of a complex, titled here, "social engineering, or social technology." Such complex includes, in addition to the above mentioned organizations, the degree of organizational coordination, proportion of population employed in village organizations and degree of organizational variety.