Globalization Processes and the Restructuring of Europe’s Rural Regions

In this concluding chapter, we pull together research findings from case study regions in the DERREG project, as presented in the preceding chapters. From these we highlight some key conclusions for each of the themes examined in DERREG – the embeddedness of rural businesses in international networks; international migration to rural regions; sustainable development and environmental capital in rural regions; and regional learning and capacity building – including observations on dynamics shaping the differentiated geography of the global countryside. Picking up this last aspect, we move on to postulate a typology of the positioning of rural regions in relation to globalization and identify the opportunities and challenges associated with these categories. Finally, we consider responses to globalization and propose recommendations for policy development.