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.

This book addresses the role of social capital in promoting rural and local development. The recent financial and economic crises have exposed the European Union (EU) to an increased risk of social exclusion and poverty, which are now at the heart of its economic, employment and social agenda with explicit reference to rural and marginal areas (Europe 2020). The authors' work from the notion that rural development is not imposed from the ‘outside’, but depends also on endogenous factors, namely local cultural and ecological amenities, eco-system services, and economic links with urban areas which expand rural opportunities for innovation, competitiveness, employment and sustainable development. Social capital is of paramount importance because it helps build networks and trusting relations among local stakeholders in the public and private spheres, and supporting the enhancement of governance of natural resources in rural areas

The OECD Regional Outlook 2016 examines the widening productivity gap across regions within countries, and the implications of these trends for the well-being of people living in different places.

Discusses consolidation of Federal rural development programs and the availability and delivery of agricultural credit. Presents testimony and prepared statements from Committee members as well as reps. from the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture; Farm Credit System; Univ. of Kentucky; Great Atlantic Mortgage Service Corp.; Nat. Family Farm Coalition; North Dakota Agricultural Mediation Service; Indiana Statewide Assoc. of Rural Electric Coops.; Coastal Enterprises, Inc.; Nat. Rural Water Assoc., etc. Includes position statements from the Nat. Alliance for Fair Competition; Nat. Rural Housing Coalition; the Center for Rural Affairs, and others.

Participatory video is a growing area of research and an increasingly popular tool among practitioners, researchers, and NGOs working with communities around the world. The Handbook of Participatory Video advances the field, engaging critically with it as a research methodology and method and interrogating assumptions about its emancipatory nature and potential for social change. In twenty-eight chapters, contributors examine historical, ethical, methodological, and technical aspects of participatory video and discuss power, ownership, and knowledge production. The Handbook is organized into six parts: Locating Participatory Video, Participatory Video as a Critical Research Methodology, Working with Visual Data, Power and Ethics in Participatory Video, Dissemination and Reaching New Audiences, and Communities and Technologies. This benchmark work takes an interdisciplinary and global approach and will be invaluable to researchers, practitioners, and students.