ABSTRACT
Instigated by technological and political change, Europe's rural areas have undergone profound and all-pervasive restructuring processes. Although the impact of these processes has often been depicted negatively, this is not always the case. Bringing together a range of comparative case studies from France, Finland, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Spain, Sweden, Portugal, the UK and other countries, this book provides a comprehensive and balanced picture of rural change over the past five decades. It explores which aspects of the European countryside have benefited and which have suffered as a consequence of the often contradictory forces of restructuring. The book looks into economic aspects as well as into the social impact of rural change. The final part examines regional issues and illustrates how different rural areas have responded to the transformative pressures.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
part I|120 pages
The Changing Rural Economy
chapter Chapter 2|19 pages
Agriculture on the Verge of the 21st Century: The Challenge of Coming to Terms with the Environment
chapter Chapter 6|15 pages
Supply of Goods and Services in Sparsely Populated Regions: The Example of Sweden's glesbygd
part II|92 pages
The Changing Rural Society
chapter Chapter 10|13 pages
Structural Funds and Gender Mainstreaming: Counting Heads or Changing Structures?
chapter Chapter 11|15 pages
Tackling Social Exclusion: An Evaluation of Local Exchange and Trading Schemes (LETS)
part III|68 pages
The Changing Rural Areas