ABSTRACT
In Norway, research on regional development is regarded as virtually synonymous with research on rural development. For example, the Norwegian Research Council's recent research programme on regional development stated explicitly that the main focus of the programme would be rural Norway, defined as all parts of Norway except the conurbations around Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim and Stavanger. Similarly, regional political discourses have a rural profile, and have focused on rural problems for most of the post-war period. In the 1970s, the idea of even economic growth in all parts of the country was consolidated with the additional idea of stabilising settlement patterns. The Review to Parliament by the Minister of Regional Policies in 1992-93 marks a turning point away from rural policy to regional policy. Thus, the interviewees' constructions of the rural while still living in the city contained diverse and even contradictory elements. Second, social representations of rurality had played a significant role in the decision-making process.
