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European Rural Demographic Strategies: Foreshadowing Post-Lisbon Rural Development Policy?

Author

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  • Thomas Dax

    (Federal Institute of Agricultural Economics, Rural and Mountain Research, 1030 Vienna, Austria)

  • Andrew Copus

    (Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies, Karelian Institute, University of Eastern Finland, 80100 Joensuu, Finland)

Abstract

The European Commission’s Long-term Vision for Rural Areas, published in June 2021 and building on a previous report on the Impact of Demographic Change and a Green Paper on Ageing, underlines the importance of population trends as a key issue for EU rural policy. The increasing concern about demographic issues, especially in rural Europe, has been accompanied, and in some cases preceded, by the publication of national population strategies. This renewed interest within the European policy community probably has roots in politics rather than new research or fresh evidence. Rural depopulation is not a new phenomenon, nor is it a new research topic. Nevertheless, to better understand this renewed interest, it is instructive to review recent scholarship and consider whether there is any evidence that the processes and systems of rural and regional (demographic) development are delivering new kinds of challenges, requiring refreshed policy approaches. Having established this context, we present a comparative review of a selection of national strategies, identifying shifting perspectives on goals, the instruments proposed, and implied intervention logics. Arguably, cumulative evidence points to an incremental shift of the policy discourse away from neoliberal, Lisbon-inspired visions of rural competitiveness and cost-effectiveness and towards a quest for rural well-being, rights to basic services, and more (spatially) inclusive rural development. This increasing emphasis on qualitative change may be symptomatic of a wider shift in the zeitgeist of rural policy, reflecting a number of globalised trends, including an awareness of the potentials and limitations associated with changing patterns of inter and intra-regional mobility.

Suggested Citation

  • Thomas Dax & Andrew Copus, 2022. "European Rural Demographic Strategies: Foreshadowing Post-Lisbon Rural Development Policy?," World, MDPI, vol. 3(4), pages 1-19, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jworld:v:3:y:2022:i:4:p:53-956:d:976504
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Mar Ortega-Reig & Carsten Schürmann & Adrian Ferrandis Martínez & Andrew Copus, 2023. "Measuring Access to Services of General Interest as a Diagnostic Tool to Identify Well-Being Disparities between Rural Areas in Europe," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-30, May.
    2. Luis Antonio Sáez & Vicente Pinilla, 2024. "Ends and Means in Spanish Depopulation Policies: Rethinking Development Objectives in Sparsely Populated Rural Areas," Documentos de Trabajo dt2024-02, Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y Empresariales, Universidad de Zaragoza.
    3. Florian Ahlmeyer & Kati Volgmann, 2023. "What Can We Expect for the Development of Rural Areas in Europe?—Trends of the Last Decade and Their Opportunities for Rural Regeneration," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-17, March.
    4. Ignacio Cazcarro & Miguel Martín-Retortillo & Guillermo Rodríguez-López & Ana Serrano & Javier Silvestre, 2024. "Retaining population with water? Irrigation policies and depopulation in Spain over the long term," Working Papers 0256, European Historical Economics Society (EHES).

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