Lars Olof Persson, Ann-Mari Sätre Åhlander and Hans Westlund (eds) Local Responses to Global Changes Economic and Social Development in Northern Europe’s Countryside ARBETSLIV I OMVANDLING WORK LIFE IN TRANSITION | 2003:11 ISBN 91-7045-690-9 | ISSN 1404-8426 National Institute for Working Life The National Institute for Working Life is a national centre of knowledge for issues concerning working life. The Institute carries out research and develop- ment covering the whole field of working life, on commission from The Ministry of Industry, Employ- ment and Communications. Research is multi- disciplinary and arises from problems and trends in working life. Communication and information are important aspects of our work. For more informa- tion, visit our website www.arbetslivsinstitutet.se Work Life in Transition is a scientific series published by the National Institute for Working Life. Within the series dissertations, anthologies and original research are published. Contributions on work organisation and labour market issues are particularly welcome. They can be based on research on the development of institutions and organisations in work life but also focus on the situation of different groups or individuals in work life. A multitude of subjects and different perspectives are thus possible. The authors are usually affiliated with the social, behavioural and humanistic sciences, but can also be found among other researchers engaged in research which supports work life development. The series is intended for both researchers and others interested in gaining a deeper understanding of work life issues. Manuscripts should be addressed to the Editor and will be subjected to a traditional review proce- dure. The series primarily publishes contributions by authors affiliated with the National Institute for Working Life. ARBETSLIV I OMVANDLING WORK LIFE IN TRANSITION Editor-in-chief: Eskil Ekstedt Co-editors: Marianne Döös, Jonas Malmberg, Anita Nyberg, Lena Pettersson and Ann-Mari Sätre Åhlander © National Institute for Working Life & author, 2003 National Institute for Working Life, SE-113 91 Stockholm, Sweden ISBN 91-7045-690-9 ISSN 1404-8426 Printed at Elanders Gotab, Stockholm Preface The Nordic-Scottish University Network for Rural and Regional Development (NSN) was established in 1996. It is an open forum for researchers and develop- ment workers in the Nordic Countries and Scotland. The objectives among other things are to foster the exchange of research and practical experience within rural and regional development within the “Nordic Rim”, to develop new ways to disseminate rural research knowledge and to improve links between the academic community and the world of practitioners. NSN is an interdisciplinary network. For more information and national contact persons, see: http://www.lews.uhi.ac. uk/Nordic-Scottish. NSN organizes annual conferences on rural and regional development. The 6th Annual conference “Sustainability in Rural and Regional Development” was organized in August 2002 in Östersund, Sweden. The organizers and sponsors were NIWL (National Institute for Working Life), ITPS (Swedish Institute for Growth Policy Studies) and Nordregio (Nordic Centre for Spatial Development). The conference was attended by 51 researchers and development workers, with 26 papers being presented. A selection of these papers has subsequently been reviewed for publication. The editors for the volume represent the programme committee: Lars Olof Persson, Nordregio Ann-Mari Sätre Åhlander, NIWL Hans Westlund, ITPS The programme committee wishes to express their sincere thanks to Anette Forsberg and Jörgen Lithander, both at NIWL, who were in charge of the Secre- tariat for the Conference and who undertook almost all of the planning and organisational work. The editors would also like to express their sincere thanks to the 28 anonymous referees who have made an important contribution to impro- ving the quality of the papers. We also express thanks to Chris Smith who has checked and improved the quality of the English language, and to Annica Nordin for copy-editing. Östersund and Stockholm in November 2003 The editors Content Preface Rural communities facing challenges and conflicts 1 Lars Olof Persson, Ann-Mari Sätre Åhlander and Hans Westlund Capacity and community – The balance between the social and the environmental in a specific cultural context 11 Ciaran Lynch Sustainable societal development in the knowledge based economy –with special reference to regional analysis 31 Jens Kaalhauge Nielsen Processes of change in a rural Swedish community 57 Yvonne Gunnarsdotter Local associations and networks as important players in rural development 89 Marianne Bay Nielsen The social economy – a lever for local economic development? 109 Ann-Mari Sätre Åhlander Social capital and local development in Swedish rural districts 129 Hans Westlund, Anette Forsberg and Chatrine Höckertin Co-operative approaches to agricultural landscape management-farmer groups as agents 151 Anne Gravsholt Busck Local partnership in rural policy implementation 171 Ella Mustakangas and Hilkka Vihinen Where have all the women gone? Gender perspective on the Regional Growth Agreements – a new Swedish regional policy 191 Ursula Hård Business-led mobilisation in rural areas. A simple case of Swedish exceptionalism, or a new model in the making? 205 Bo Svensson Portfolio farmers, entrepreneurship, and social sustainability 219 Kari Mikko Vesala and Juuso Peura Information technology and networks in small enterprises in rural area 231 Karl W Sandberg Processes of birth and growth. A case study of six small-scale organisations in a rural region 241 Jörgen Lithander Promoting sustainable labour markets in rural settings 269 Lars Olof Persson Towards an agenda for comparative rural research in the European North 279 Lars Olof Persson, Ann-Mari Sätre Åhlander and Hans Westlund Author presentation 289 Rural communities facing challenges and conflicts Lars Olof Persson Ann-Mari Sätre Åhlander Hans Westlund The book begins with three articles dealing with the challenges and conflicts faced by rural communities, where social rather than economic development is the predominant focus. Social – environmental conflicts in Irish rural development In-migration and the construction of new houses in the countryside are normally seen as positive features for rural development. Ciaran Lynch shows in his article that such developments are to be seen in rather more problematic terms when environmental concerns are taken into consideration. During the Irish economic boom of the late 20th Century, the historic wish of the people to live in the rural areas of the country reasserted itself. This wish, partly driven by increasing afflu- ence, partly by the cost of housing in the urban settlements and partly driven also by the desire of landowners to liquidate some of their capital assets, has led to substantial pressure for development in the Irish countryside. This pressure sub- sequently led to the development of two bodies of opinion in the country. One, which represents conservation interests, central government, the planning pro- fession and local authority management, proposes severe restrictions on such development. This proposal is made on the basis of the lack of sustainability of such development, the fact that it is not associated with the employment location of the prospective residents in question, and with regard to the implications for fossil fuel use and water quality. The second body of opinion, which represents rural communities, local political representatives and agricultural interests, supports a much more liberal approach to such development. This perspective is based on concerns for the social and economic sustainability of rural commu- nities. This body of opinion suggests that the decline in rural communities will lead to a stranded and isolated population with a very low level of service provision. In addition, there is a perspective that development in the countryside is effectively the right of those who were born in such an area. In the light of the context within which the debate is taking place Lynch suggests a solution within the context of an approach that would respect Irish history and cultural traditions 1 but that would permit the issue of environmental sustainability to be given its due importance. The “bumby” way to sustainability in rural Denmark Jens Kaalhauge Nielsen investigates the concept of sustainable societal develop- ment within the knowledge-based economy. His aim is to define and explain the theoretical meaning of the concept and to illustrate how the age of “the new economy” addresses the issue of sustainability for regional analysis. Sustain- ability emerges as a search for an operational understanding of the essential conditions for society’s self-preservation. These conditions have an objective and a normative dimension, as well as an “inner” and an “outer” systemic mode. The chapter clarifies the differences between societal and economic sustainability and highlights the cybernetic importance of the societal level of analysis. Generally speaking, the major transformational processes promoted by the new economy challenge the traditional industrial structure of the periphery and change the dynamic between the country and the city. These global processes increase the difficulties faced in securing balanced societal development, as the constant increase in the mobility of the factors of production creates elements of fragmen- tation on the societal