Planning failures in less developed countries have sometimes been attributed to too much political interference of an arbitrary and haphazard nature. Another explanation may be too little rather than too much politics. Politics is seen as an independent variable giving direction and coherence to the whole process of planning and implementation. Examples from Tanzania and India show the difficulties of goal achievement when this is absent. Tanzania has introduced political, structural, administrative and planning changes designed to bring planning and implementation into line with the political ideology, and this may offer a model for other developing countries.