Vers une nouvelle mosaïque de la Suède rurale

The aim of the paper is to approach a better understanding of the complexity of contempory rural change. One theme is the impact of policies ; the traditional rural policies and the state budget in general. It is argued that, in the Swedish case, the general welfare model has had a major redistributional but largely uninentional effect in favour of peripheral regions. Rural change, however, cannot be comprehended from policy alone. A cluster of economic and social changes are operating at different levels affecting the various kinds of rural areas. A better understanding of the processes at work can be achieved by identifying the different needs and actvitées of the emerging types of rural inhabitants. We have chosen to focus on crucial resources, leading policy and critical networks.