The paper is an attempt to design a new theoretical and analytical approach to comprehensive and integrated rural development in which the interrelationships between actors and processes are considered to be far more important than single activities. This approach views the modalities through which the rural systems are developing as a central issue, with the overall capacity to adapt to changing circumstances being decisive. The rural web is conceptualized as the network of multiple interrelations among human being and –non human being actors locally specific, able to create a more sustainable development. It is introduced and illustrated in all is six dimensions (sustainability, endogeneity, novelty, social capital, new institutional arrangements, governance of the markets). The new concept of rural web can help scholars to conceive of rural development as ‘reflexive territorialisation’, a strategy through which rural regions differentiate and position themselves within global networks. It can also help to identify the drivers of change and of resistance to change, the integration between the social and the non-human spheres and the influence of power relationships on territorialisation. Focusing on the dialectics between internal and external relationships, the rural web avoids the adoption of an idyllic approach to rural development, and allows the selection of the most appropriate strategies, from resistance to extinction to scaling up alternatives. By drawing on a small set of strongly theory-laden concepts (networks, coherence, territorial capital) and linking them to specific dimensions the rural web can improve comparative tools of analysis between initiatives and territories. It can also stimulate grounded theory, as it allows for testing these concepts against empirical data. As a diagnostic tool, the rural web may provide a methodology for examining the strengths and weaknesses of a territory to identify potential rural development strategies. Moreover, the rural web may also provide appropriate monitoring and evaluation methodologies for public and private initiatives, combining quantitative and qualitative data into a common framework. The paper is part of the first year report of ETUDE Programme (Enlarging Theoretical Understanding of Rural Development) funded by the EU 6th Research Framework.

The rural WEB: A Syntesis

VENTURA, Flaminia;
2008

Abstract

The paper is an attempt to design a new theoretical and analytical approach to comprehensive and integrated rural development in which the interrelationships between actors and processes are considered to be far more important than single activities. This approach views the modalities through which the rural systems are developing as a central issue, with the overall capacity to adapt to changing circumstances being decisive. The rural web is conceptualized as the network of multiple interrelations among human being and –non human being actors locally specific, able to create a more sustainable development. It is introduced and illustrated in all is six dimensions (sustainability, endogeneity, novelty, social capital, new institutional arrangements, governance of the markets). The new concept of rural web can help scholars to conceive of rural development as ‘reflexive territorialisation’, a strategy through which rural regions differentiate and position themselves within global networks. It can also help to identify the drivers of change and of resistance to change, the integration between the social and the non-human spheres and the influence of power relationships on territorialisation. Focusing on the dialectics between internal and external relationships, the rural web avoids the adoption of an idyllic approach to rural development, and allows the selection of the most appropriate strategies, from resistance to extinction to scaling up alternatives. By drawing on a small set of strongly theory-laden concepts (networks, coherence, territorial capital) and linking them to specific dimensions the rural web can improve comparative tools of analysis between initiatives and territories. It can also stimulate grounded theory, as it allows for testing these concepts against empirical data. As a diagnostic tool, the rural web may provide a methodology for examining the strengths and weaknesses of a territory to identify potential rural development strategies. Moreover, the rural web may also provide appropriate monitoring and evaluation methodologies for public and private initiatives, combining quantitative and qualitative data into a common framework. The paper is part of the first year report of ETUDE Programme (Enlarging Theoretical Understanding of Rural Development) funded by the EU 6th Research Framework.
2008
9789023244844
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11391/131098
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