Mark Shucksmith

TL;DR: The authors argue that leader-type programmes need to include pro-active action targeted at raising the social and cultural capital of individuals and of disadvantaged groups (either of which happen to be in the area, but not innately defined by the area).

TL;DR: In this paper, the role of the state in promoting sustainable rural communities is discussed, and the concept of integrated rural development is discussed. But it is not clear whether the concept still has any meaning in the context of new rural governance and the authors link this to re-theorisations of concepts of spatial planning, place-shaping, capacity-building and neo-endogenous development.

TL;DR: In this article, the roles of social capital and identity in contemporary rural development are examined based on empirical research in case study areas in six European countries, and the importance of social process in rural development, particularly in regard to the relationship between continuity and change.

TL;DR: In this article, the LEADER initiative was used to develop innovative approaches to rural development in 10 countries and at various scales from the EU and nation to the local, with a focus on the social and cultural dimensions of innovation.

TL;DR: Shucksmith et al. as mentioned in this paper analyzed the European Quality of Life Survey 2003 to explore urban-rural differences in income, deprivation, and other life domains, and concluded that the richest countries in the European Union show little evidence of significant urban-Rural differences, whereas in the poorer countries of the east and south, rural areas have a much lower level of perceived welfare and quality of life.