Rural areas between locality and global networks. Local development mechanisms and the role of policies empowering rural actors

Francesco Mantino

Bio-based and Applied Economics Journal, 2021, vol. 10, issue 4

Abstract: The main objective of this work is to review the recent achievements on the mechanisms explaining local and rural development, which underpin the current defi-nition of rural areas in the European literature. The analysis carried out in this article acknowledges a gap between local development processes and the current representa-tion of rural diversity by international organisations and national/regional authorities. New concepts can be drawn from this comparative analysis: 1) rural diversity cannot be explained exclusively by agglomeration forces and geographical distance from urban centres; b) multiple functions of rural areas, often rooted into sustainable agri-food systems or other forms of territorial capital, contribute to explain more autonomous roles of rural areas; c) organised or relational proximity is emerging in a context of a globalised economy and non-geographical networks, as a critical factor of connection between rural areas and distant regions/markets. This article translates these differ-ent disciplinary developments into a practical and integrated conceptual approach, in which local development processes result from three components: local resource sys-tems, networks, institutions and enabling policies.

Keywords: Community/Rural/Urban; Development (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ags:aieabj:320230

DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.320230

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