This title was first published in 2001. An interdisciplinary team of leading European scholars bring together case studies from Western and Eastern Europe to illustrate and critically analyze the shifting relationships of agricultural, environmental and food policy in Europe. In the most comprehensive book of its kind it examines the critical changes, both in agricultural, environmental and food politics and the way these domains have been investigated by European social scientists. The book evaluates specific changes, focussing in particular on agricultural restructuring (in the face of globalization, Europeanization and the collapse of the Soviet model of agricultural organization), agriculture-environmental relations and consumer preferences. Beginning by examining the degree to which Europe offers a unique and identifiable rural experience, the book includes a critical re-examination of the process of agricultural transformation. In the light of contemporary events and the over-seductive and essentially mythical notion of post-productivism.

This title was first published in 2001. By presenting research from a multi disciplinary perspective, this book will serve as an important reference tool for researchers and others interested in the land use issues of Central and Eastern Europe as well as agribusiness leaders seeking potential trading relations with and within these European countries.

This ground-breaking book deals with the effects of the transformation towards a market economy on the rural societies of Central and Eastern Europe. Within the framework of the overall situation of rural communities, special attention is given to the consequences of the break-up of socialist patterns of agriculture and the prospects for private farming. Rural societies in Central and Eastern Europe are suffering a three-pronged attack from marketization: loss of local non-agricultural jobs, loss of agricultural jobs and loss of urban jobs for commuting workers. The choices that confront the rural population are stark. Either they succeed as family farmers, self-employed craftsmen or in small businesses, or they fail and retreat to subsistence agriculture. Only a minority will find employment in large industrial or service companies. Rural Transformation in Central Europe considers how these choices are made, who makes which choices, why some succeed and others fail, what interest groups are formed, and how political interests are articulated. Based on background papers on the economic, legal, political, and social context of rural transformations and on interviews conducted in villages in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia, this highly original study should appeal to all those interested in the problems of transformation in Central and Eastern Europe.

This book identifies, diagnoses and evaluates social and economic processes taking place in the rural areas of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) states in the last 25 years and affecting the immediate future, with a particular focus on their spatial diversity. It addresses questions related to the rationality of the current development policy and possible results in the future. Contemporary processes of socio-economic development are typified by the fact that spatial and regional disparities are tending to increase. This unfavourable phenomenon manifested both in society and in terms of polarised space needs to be counteracted using an effective development policy. The book highlights issues concerning demography, functional structure and non-agricultural activity, and identifies new challenges arising from membership of the European Union (EU). Accession to the EU and the opportunity to implement support measures has further increased the dynamism of transformation – a process that proceeded under various scenarios and different regulations and assumptions that have yet to be identified and evaluated. Furthermore, the current internal policies of individual CEE states concerning rural areas are diverse and likely to affect differential future development. The book is based on the knowledge and experience of scientists from countries in the region investigated, who have the best understanding of the subject matter and have observed the transformations. It is intended for researchers exploring the development of the countryside and practitioners dealing with regional and national development policies targeting rural areas.

This book reflects on how the economies, social characteristics, ways of life and global relationships of rural areas of Europe have changed in recent years. This reveals a need to refresh the concepts we use to understand, measure and describe rural communities and their development potential. This book argues that Europe has 'outgrown' many of the stereotypes usually associated with it, with substantial implications for European Rural Policy. Rural structural change and its evolving geography are portrayed through regional typologies and the concept of the New Rural Economy. Demographic change, migration, business networks and agricultural restructuring are each explored in greater detail. Implications for equality and social exclusion, and recent developments in the field of governance are also considered. Despite being a subject of active debate, interventions in the fields of rural and regional development have failed to adapt to changing realities and have become increasingly polarized. This book argues that rural/regional policy needs to evolve in order to address the current complex reality, partially reformulating territorial or place-based approaches, and the New Rural Paradigm, following a set of principles termed ‘Rural Cohesion Policy’.