The Circular Economy (CE) is a driver of change and regeneration at a global level, and especially for rural areas. However, there is a missing link regarding the CE in municipalities, i.e. at the macro level encompassing the built environment, which is even more pronounced concerning rural...

In recent decades, tourism has evolved into one of the largest, fastest-growing, and most dynamic industrial sectors, encompassing various complementary businesses across diverse fields. The pivotal role of local knowledge in shaping tourism services and products in rural areas cannot be...

A bi-directional relationship between poverty and mental health may create a vicious cycle, wherein economic hardship and psychological distress reinforce each other. We examine the short-term dynamics between income fluctuations and mental well-being using 17 months of weekly financial diaries...

The 2nd Preparatory Action on Smart Rural Areas in the 21st Century (Smart Rural 27 project) was launched by the European Commission on 21 December 2020 with the aim to "prepare Member States and rural communities to the implementation of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) post-2020 as well as...

The purpose of the 'Support for Smart Villages in the CAP Strategic Plans' report carried out in the framework of the 2nd Preparatory Action - Smart areas in the 21th century - is to provide an overview on how Smart Villages concept has been programmed in the 2023-2027 CAP Strategic Plans (CAP...

The Preparatory Action on Smart Rural Areas in the 21st Century (Bis), was running from December 2020 to May 2024 and aimed to prepare Member States and rural communities for the implementation of Smart Villages within the Common Agricultural Policy post-2020, as well as other EU policies which...

Smart Villages is a relatively new concept that was first formulated by the European Commission - at the initiation of the European Parliament through the EU Action for Smart Villages in 2017. The 1st Preparatory Action on Smart Rural Areas in the 21st Century (called Smart Rural 21 project,...

While agriculture remains a key source of livelihoods in rural Africa, employment in other economic sectors is gaining in importance. However, details of the labor conditions are under-researched. Here, we examine labor conditions in different sectors of the rural economy using survey data from...

This study addresses a theoretical gap by examining how multiple livelihood assets collectively enhance rural communities' adaptive capacity and contribute to rural resilience theory. Using structural equation modeling, data were collected from June to August 2024 from 372 randomly selected...

We examine the impact of rural road connectivity on economic and social outcomes in the context of India’s PMGSY, the world’s largest rural road program. Using a novel village-level survey explicitly designed around PMGSY’s rollout, we exploit quasi-random variation in road placement to...

Bundesweit stehen viele Unternehmen vor großen Herausforderungen bei der passenden Besetzung offener Stellen. In der regionalen Betrachtung zeigt sich, dass die Fachkräftesituation in ländlichen Regionen angespannter ist als in städtischen Regionen. Zuletzt konnten in dünn besiedelten...

Infrastructure improvement is one of the driving forces behind growth and structural changes in the village economy. This study aims to determine the impact of improvements in rural infrastructure, particularly connecting roads between villages, on the direction of changes in the main income...

Purpose - This paper examines why farmers self-select out of formal credit markets even though they need external funds. Design/methodology/approach - We use probit and Bayesian probit estimators to detect the determinants of self-selection behavior based on a primary dataset of 2,212 rice...

I investigate the intra-household labor and resource allocation consequences of an employment guarantee targeting rural households in India. The guarantee insures household earnings, replacing women as added workers and shutting down a motive for saving. Despite sizable program-job take-up, the...

Place-specific socioeconomic features are unique and, unlike first-nature geography, are shaped and reshaped by human and institutional interactions. In Ethiopia, however, policy thinking has not progressed much beyond first-nature geography, overlooking the multidimensional socio-spatial...

This study aims to explore the potential association between the performance of the stock market and the growth of the rural economy in China. It examines the impact of regional market volatility on rural macroeconomic indicators, which functions through the equity price fluctuations of locally...

Purpose - This study aims to identify the significant factors that influence the continuation intention (CI) to use a digital wallet in the regions with low technology infrastructure and among the consumers possessing low levels of digital and financial literacy. Design/methodology/approach -...

Siddique et al. (2024a) report massive effects of a mobile phone-based health awareness campaign in a randomized field experiment conducted in rural Bangladesh and India during the COVID-19 pandemic. Both awareness and compliance with preventive COVID-19 measures were higher when the information...

Siddique et al. (2024a) report massive effects of a mobile phone-based health awareness campaign in a randomized field experiment conducted in rural Bangladesh and India during the COVID-19 pandemic. Both awareness and compliance with preventive COVID-19 measures were higher when the information...

This report identifies the unique technological challenges and opportunities faced by various Azerbaijani communities when using digital tools and services, particularly in rural areas. The findings will support the Government of Azerbaijan in its design of the interventions necessary to create...

This study examines the complex relationships between rainfall shocks, agricultural productivity, and rural economic activity in Rajasthan, India's largest state. Using district-level agricultural data from 1990 to 2015, enterprise surveys from 2010 to 2016, and household consumption data from...

We investigate labor exchange teams in rural communities, which are prevalent in many developing countries. We show theoretically that these teams are beneficial to employers, who can outsource the monitoring of workers. Team members are incentivized to exert a high level of effort because any...

This study examines whether leaders’ unethical behaviours discourage people from participating in activities initiated by community-based programmes, and whether the impact of unethical leadership is moderated by the genders of leaders and community members. We conducted a vignette experiment...

While the COVID-19 pandemic has intensified counter-urban migration trends globally, with rural areas often portrayed as ideal havens, the post-migration realities and risks faced by rural in-migrants remain understudied. Addressing this research gap, this research investigates the neighborhood...

This paper reveals the mechanisms by which the spatial structure of morphological polycentricity (MP) affects the subjective well-being (SWB) in China, focusing on the distribution of economic activities. Using panel data for 21 provinces in China from 2010 to 2020, we compare the effects of...

Twenty years have passed since the first eastern enlargements of the European Union (EU). This paper assesses the impacts of EU accession on agriculture and rural regions of Central and Eastern European countries and identifies the reasons behind differences in country performance. Results...