<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p> Rural regions in Austria have been under increasing pressure for change in the last decades. On a regional level, varying development patterns of shrinkage and growth arise alongside economic, demographic and social parameters. In this paper, regional ambassador concepts will be explicated as a new instrument of regional development. Additionally, potential positive impacts of these approaches on the problems faced by rural, structurally weak regions will be highlighted. Notable advantages of these approaches are network and feedback effects between stakeholders. These, in turn, are capable of improving the economic and social situation in those regions. However, these measures require a high degree of control capacities which structurally weak areas often lack.</p></abstract>

Rural regions in Austria have been under increasing pressure for change in the last decades. On a regional level, varying development patterns of shrinkage and growth arise alongside economic, demographic and social parameters. In this paper, regional ambassador concepts will be explicated as a new instrument of regional development. Additionally, potential positive impacts of these approaches on the problems faced by rural, structurally weak regions will be highlighted. Notable advantages of these approaches are network and feedback effects between stakeholders. These, in turn, are capable of improving the economic and social situation in those regions. However, these measures require a high degree of control capacities which structurally weak areas often lack.

Regional Ambassadors – An Innovative Element for the Development of Rural Areas?

European Countryside

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Rural regions in Austria have been under increasing pressure for change in the last decades. On a regional level, varying development patterns of shrinkage and...

Regional Ambassadors – An Innovative Element for the Development of Rural Areas?

Published Online: Jul 13, 2017

Page range: 359 - 374

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/euco-2017-0022

Keywords
Regional development, regional ambassadors, regional networks, governance, structural change

© by Wolfgang Fischer

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Regional Ambassadors – An Innovative Element for the Development of Rural Areas?

Published Online: Jul 13, 2017

Page range: 359 - 374

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/euco-2017-0022

KeywordsRegional development, regional ambassadors, regional networks, governance, structural change

© by Wolfgang Fischer

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Keywords
Regional development, regional ambassadors, regional networks, governance, structural change