In this paper an institutional policy approach is ouilined that interprets rural development as a problem of public goods provision. It is argued that rural development policy should focus on the establishment of institutional arrangements that provide rural public goods effectively. Incentive...

The sparsely populated northern Sweden has been the main target area for regional policy efforts since the 1960s. A rich variety of regional policy measures have been launched over the years. However, despite this and a heavy expansion of welfare undertakings a significant depopulation has taken...