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

<p>Nowadays, the issue of rural development has a central place on the agenda of policy-makers, prompting a discussion on the instrumental and procedural options of public policies. This paper seeks to contribute to the reflection on the potentialities and limitations of promoting rural development based on innovative strategies sustained by territorial governance modalities, which entail an active involvement of local agents, especially local authorities. For this, it takes as case studies three public policy experiences led by local authorities within a Portuguese low-density region, with one of the lowest development rates among EU regions. Specifically, it aims to discuss: (a) the effectiveness of adopting innovative policies in the context of low-density rural areas; and (2) the role of territorial governance in the success of those policies. The research followed a document analysis and interviews with local development actors. The analysis suggests that peripheral rural areas are not condemned to human desertification. There is a wide spectrum of opportunities for these areas. They can bring together a strategic view of the future, and an institutional leadership capable of dynamizing an adjusted territorial governance model. This is the challenge currently facing rural development policy.</p>
</abstract>

Nowadays, the issue of rural development has a central place on the agenda of policy-makers, prompting a discussion on the instrumental and procedural options of public policies. This paper seeks to contribute to the reflection on the potentialities and limitations of promoting rural development based on innovative strategies sustained by territorial governance modalities, which entail an active involvement of local agents, especially local authorities. For this, it takes as case studies three public policy experiences led by local authorities within a Portuguese low-density region, with one of the lowest development rates among EU regions. Specifically, it aims to discuss: (a) the effectiveness of adopting innovative policies in the context of low-density rural areas; and (2) the role of territorial governance in the success of those policies. The research followed a document analysis and interviews with local development actors. The analysis suggests that peripheral rural areas are not condemned to human desertification. There is a wide spectrum of opportunities for these areas. They can bring together a strategic view of the future, and an institutional leadership capable of dynamizing an adjusted territorial governance model. This is the challenge currently facing rural development policy.

Innovative Local Policies in Portuguese Low-Density Rural Areas

ICSTE – Instituto Universitário de Lisboa

European Countryside

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

{"article-title":"Innovative Local Policies in Portuguese Low-Density Rural Areas"}

Nowadays, the issue of rural development has a central place on the agenda of policy-makers, prompting a discussion on the instrumental and procedural options...

Innovative Local Policies in Portuguese Low-Density Rural Areas

Online veröffentlicht: 12. Juli 2021

Seitenbereich: 388 - 409

Eingereicht: 17. Okt. 2020

Akzeptiert: 10. Feb. 2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/euco-2021-0024

Schlüsselwörter
Rural development policy, Innovative local policies, low-density rural areas, local authority action, Portugal

© 2021 Raul Lopes et al., published by Sciendo

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

Innovative Local Policies in Portuguese Low-Density Rural Areas

Online veröffentlicht: 12. Juli 2021

Seitenbereich: 388 - 409

Eingereicht: 17. Okt. 2020

Akzeptiert: 10. Feb. 2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/euco-2021-0024

SchlüsselwörterRural development policy, Innovative local policies, low-density rural areas, local authority action, Portugal

© 2021 Raul Lopes et al., published by Sciendo

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

Schlüsselwörter
Rural development policy, Innovative local policies, low-density rural areas, local authority action, Portugal