ABSTRACT
This part introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters. The part offers a conceptual framework for studying rural development from the perspective of 'spatial scale'. It also offers a new concept, called 'policy arrangement', to diagnose the continuity and change in environmental policies. The part shows that the concept of 'policy arrangement' can address questions of stability, institutionalization and structural power in policy domains. It explains a recapitulation of literature's concern for globalization and introduces the methodology of narrative analysis. The part describes how the EU perceives and manages the common European interests in the context of globalization and of agro-food political and economic affairs. It elaborates on a German-Dutch nature conservation project. The part focuses on the role of borders, particularly the borders of nation-states. It attempts to discover the influence of affective borders on cross-border economic interaction. The part also focuses on the relevance of the cultural historical factor.
