<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>This study evaluates the policies developed in Spain to address depopulation and explains the reasons for their low effectiveness. We consider that the low impact of these policies is due to an incorrect diagnosis and design in terms of their content and governance. Therefore, we propose that depopulation policies should have the objective of enabling citizens to reside where they wish and obtain the best possible quality of life. These policies should be implemented within a new governance framework in which the foundations on which they are based and the way in which they are implemented are renewed. With the support of the European Union, such action could be carried out more efficiently and could constitute a reference of successful territorial cohesion contributing to erasing the populist opinion in places that believe that they do not matter.</p>
</abstract>

This study evaluates the policies developed in Spain to address depopulation and explains the reasons for their low effectiveness. We consider that the low impact of these policies is due to an incorrect diagnosis and design in terms of their content and governance. Therefore, we propose that depopulation policies should have the objective of enabling citizens to reside where they wish and obtain the best possible quality of life. These policies should be implemented within a new governance framework in which the foundations on which they are based and the way in which they are implemented are renewed. With the support of the European Union, such action could be carried out more efficiently and could constitute a reference of successful territorial cohesion contributing to erasing the populist opinion in places that believe that they do not matter.

What Do Public Policies Teach us About Rural Depopulation: The Case Study of Spain

Professor Vicente Pinilla, Universidad de Zaragoza

Faculty of Economics and Business Studies

Associated Professor Luis Antonio Sáez Pérez, Universidad de Zaragoza

European Countryside

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

This study evaluates the policies developed in Spain to address depopulation and explains the reasons for their low effectiveness. We consider that the low...

What Do Public Policies Teach us About Rural Depopulation: The Case Study of Spain

Published Online: Jul 12, 2021

Page range: 330 - 351

Received: Nov 16, 2020

Accepted: Feb 27, 2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/euco-2021-0021

Keywords
Depopulation, Sparsely Populated Areas, Rural development policy, Spain

© 2021 Vicente Pinilla et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

What Do Public Policies Teach us About Rural Depopulation: The Case Study of Spain

Published Online: Jul 12, 2021

Page range: 330 - 351

Received: Nov 16, 2020

Accepted: Feb 27, 2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/euco-2021-0021

KeywordsDepopulation, Sparsely Populated Areas, Rural development policy, Spain

© 2021 Vicente Pinilla et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Keywords
Depopulation, Sparsely Populated Areas, Rural development policy, Spain