Organisation et territoire : un cadre d'analyse appliqué aux espaces ruraux

We proceed from the hypothesis that organisational factors are more cogent in comparatively peripheral rural areas, away from the more immediate effects of the selective slackening of population and activities, than in other types of area. We propose a framework within which to analyse the organisation of this category of area, distinguishing between the institutional and industrial type of organisational structure factors on the one hand and organisational capital on the other. Organisational capital is differentiated by the specific forms of resources used and the forms of co-ordination enhancing the accumulation of intangible capital. The study of french typical territories attest to the validity of this framework. Balanced co-operation between institutional and industrial structures is seldom apparent. One or other of these forms of organisation prevails. In the rural areas under study, organisational capital is often structured around the managment of resources with low mobility, in particular in agricultural sector, but also by accumulation of specific human capital. The cases investigated show that the concept of territorial organisation has a heuristic function for evaluating rural dynamics but that it cannot serve as a simple standard pattern for understanding all forms of rural change. Classification JEL : L20, O18, R00.