showing 13 related works from this author
Whose Narrative is it Anyway? Narratives of Social Innovation in Rural Areas – A Comparative Analysis of Community‐Led Initiatives in Scotland and Sp…
2020
Social innovation is a process in which local communities build social and cultural capital to address challenges and social needs. The diffusion of social innovation requires compelling narratives that encourage people to join them. Using qualitative techniques and a multiple case study methodology, this paper examines the content of narratives of social innovation in rural areas and how actors construct, spread and change them. We propose a narrative analytical framework comprising four key components: problematisation; solutions and goals; actors; and plot, which we apply to three initiatives in Scotland and Spain. Our findings suggest that marginalisation, the natural environment and co…
The Context of Rural–Urban Relationships in Finland, France, Hungary, The Netherlands and Spain
2009
This paper presents a comprehensive view of the empirical research findings concerning rurban relationships in different European countries (Finland, France, Hungary, the Netherlands and Spain), through two types of rurban territories: those that are placed close to (or included in) a metropolitan area and those that are close to (and influenced by) an important tourist area or place. Its main aim is to show the diversity of European experiences with regard to urban pressure in this type of areas, highlighting the socio-economic and institutional contexts in explaining similarities and differences between five countries. The results will review the various meanings of ‘rural’ and ‘rurality’…
Desarrollo, territorio y capital social. Un análisis a partir de dinámicas relacionales en el desarrollo rural
2013
Si bien parece ampliamente aceptada la idea de que una de las principales fuentes de capital social son las redes sociales, llama mucho la atención la escasez de estudios que utilizan el Análisis de Redes Sociales (ARS) para profundizar en el análisis y medición del capital social. Esto es especialmente significativo si tenemos en cuenta la ingente cantidad de publicaciones que existen sobre este concepto. El propósito de este trabajo es llevar a cabo una aproximación al potencial del análisis de redes sociales (ARS) para analizar la presencia y formas de capital, en concreto, en el marco de las agrupaciones para el desarrollo rural (Grupos LEADER), y en su valor complementario a otras técn…
Influence and use of information sources about childbearing among Spanish pregnant women
2020
Background: Pregnant women create their childbirth expectations from their available information. Therefore, they should have access to reliable and quality medical information. However, the literature points a knowledge gap with respect to the sources of information used by them. Objectives: The primary objective was to analyse the most influential and widely used sources of information about childbearing in Spanish pregnant women. The secondary objectives were to assess the quality and usefulness of the information sources, to identify those regarded as deficient by pregnant women and to discover differences in information use related to parity. Design and methods: A cross-sectional descr…
From development to power relations and territorial governance: Increasing the leadership role of LEADER Local Action Groups in Spain
2015
Abstract The establishment of Local Action Groups (LAGs) within the framework of LEADER with the participation of public and private actors through a bottom–up approach (i.e., the empowerment of local society) and the management of local development strategies constitutes one of the major innovations in the field of rural policy in Spain. The protagonism of local society and the local management of development processes entail the introduction and experimentation of previously unknown mechanisms of territorial governance. However, the efficacy of this rhetoric has been seriously limited in its practical implementation, with difficulties conceiving truly integrated and multi-sectoral strateg…
From Analysis to Formulation of Strategies for Farm Advisory Services (Case Study: Valencia – Spain). an Application through Swot and Qspm Matrix
2019
Abstract European agriculture should meet new increasing internal and contextual challenges. For example, the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy in 2003 introduced the cross-compliance, among other novelties, as compulsory for farmers. To better meet this and other requirements, Member States had to set up the so-called Farm Advisory System, operational across the European Union in 2007. From a sample of actors involved in the provision of farm advisory services in the region of Valencia (Spain), the present study aimed to identify the most appropriate strategies to implement such services. SWOT method has been applied to examine the internal and external environment. Based on this di…
Territorial Governance and Rural Development: Challenge or Reality?
2020
Governance has emerged as a very solid conceptual framework within which public policies are designed and implemented, but with different added values. It constitutes a truly new institutional culture. Aspects such as the coordination of actors and institutions (and in this context, individual and collective leadership); the integration and articulation of public policies and sectors; the mobilisation, participation and cooperation of stakeholders (networking); or the development of a certain capacity to adapt to changes in the environment, among others, play a fundamental role. Territorial governance provides the added value of the territorial approach, as conceived in the framework of dev…
Electrificación, desarrollo rural y Buen Vivir. Un análisis a partir de las parroquias Taday y Rivera (Ecuador)
2017
El acceso a la energía eléctrica pretende mejorar las condiciones de vida de los habitantes rurales y disminuir la inequidad social. Bajo esta premisa, analizamos la electrificación como vía para alcanzar el Buen Vivir y favorecer el desarrollo productivo en las parroquias rurales de Taday y Rivera (Ecuador). Las entrevistas con la población local, sector privado, técnicos de las administraciones públicas y políticos locales muestran la importancia de este servicio por su impacto positivo en la salud y educación de las personas, en la participación de la mujer en el mercado de trabajo, en la reducción de la exclusión social y, en la actividad económica local. En este contexto, la agencia co…
Innovation and networks in rural areas. An analysis from European innovative projects
2014
Abstract Innovation is a central factor for the development of rural areas, both in terms of diversification and increased competitiveness, also related to new structures of governance. The creation, adoption or adaptation of innovations is particularly complex, requiring the right combination of local knowledge (often tacit and implicit) with expert knowledge (often more explicit and formalised), as well as the support of extensive networks. This paper analyses a number of innovation projects in several European rural areas, through the data collected via in-depth interviews. It examines the projects' contributions and the role played by stakeholders in each stage of the projects. On the o…
Hydropower: renewable and contributing to sustainable development? A critical analysis from the Mazar-Dudas project (Ecuador)
2022
The energy transition has provided a framework for designing and implementing renewable energy policies in a growing number of countries in recent years. The discourse from both international energy organisations and national governments around these renewable energy policies highlights its -supposed- sustainable nature. However, much evidence shows that the 'renewable' component of these energy policies and the impact on local communities' sustainable development are much smaller than what is claimed in their discourse. This paper analyses the Mazar-Dudas hydropower project (Ecuador) case study, which is officially classified as a small renewable energy project (21 MW) with presumable low …
Internet Access in Rural Areas: Brake or Stimulus as Post-Covid-19 Opportunity?
2020
The lack of internet access in most rural areas has become a challenge worldwide. The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted trends such as teleworking and e-commerce, meaning an opportunity for the local economy of these areas, but with serious difficulties in carrying it out. This paper aims to detect this lack of internet in inland areas of the region of Valencia through local actors, in order to identify clear priorities and real needs through an explorative and replicable approach based on agglomerative hierarchical clustering (AHC). The main findings suggest that there are different patterns in the rural internet access related to adequate infrastructure and planned actions by local counci…
Analysing social networks in rural development: a gender approach
2016
Gender issues are of growing importance in the European and Spanish rural areas. The literature reflects that women have traditionally been linked to marginal positions in economic life, social activities and even political representation at the local level. Local development programs that have been implemented in Europe’s rural areas have had among its objectives the improvement of the articulation of local communities. To reach them, it has been fostered, among others, a gender perspective, promoting both productive activities led by women and their participation as stakeholders in the management and decision-making structures of such programmes. In this paper, we addressed this latter is…
Book reviews - Crítica de libros - Crítica de livros (Historia Agraria, 85)
2021
Book reviews - Crítica de libros - Crítica de livros Markus Lampe & Paul Sharp: A Land of Milk & Butter. How Elites Created the Modern Dairy Industry Carin Martiin Christopher Dyer, Erik Thoen and Tom Williamson: Peasants and their fields. The rationale of open-field agriculture, c. 700-1800 José Luis Martínez-González Juan Antonio Quirós Castillo (Ed.): Archaeology and History of Peasantries 1. From the Late Prehistory to the Middle Ages. Guillermo García-Contreras Ruiz Dietmar Müller: Bodeneigentum und Nation. Rumänien, Jugolawien und Polen im europäischen Vergleich Miguel Cabo Villaverde Fernando Collantes y Vicente Pinilla: ¿Lugares que no importan? La despoblación de la España …