About the DERREG project

*Read about the DERREG project in German. Versions of the DERREG project leaflet in Slovenian, Spanish or Lithuanian can be downloaded at the foot of this page.

Project Objectives 
DERREG seeks to develop understanding of rural development in the era of globalization by examining globalization processes, local effects and experiences, and regional development responses in ten case study regions. The specific project objectives are to:

1. Enrich the scientific evidence base for understanding globalization-led restructuring in rural regions by developing an integrated analysis of multiple forms of global engagement;
2. Promote best practice in regional development responses to challenges associated with globalization-led restructuring;
3. Provide new insights into the challenges associated with particular processes of change, including the global engagement of rural enterprises, international migration, and the globalization of environmental discourses;
4. Develop understanding of the different challenges facing different types of rural regions; and
5. Establish a web-based resource centre to facilitate and coordinate the dissemination and accessibility of information to researchers and regional development agents.

The intended final outcome of the project is the development of an interpretative model that will identify challenges and opportunities associated with globalization for different types of rural region with different degrees of exposure to globalization processes. This will be accessible via this web-site and linked to a database of best practice examples, assembled from our case study research.

Project Structure
The DERREG research is organized into four empirical work packages, focused on a specific aspect of globalization or regional development:

• WP1: Global engagement and local embeddedness of rural businesses
• WP2: International mobility and migration of rural populations
• WP3: Environmental capital and sustainable rural development
• WP4: Capacity building, governance and knowledge systems

There is also a synoptic work package that will integrate the findings from WP1-WP4 in a holistic analysis, and work packages for dissemination (WP6) and project management (WP7). DERREG has employed a mixed methods approach to this research, combining qualitative and quantitative data.

Research has been focused on ten case study regions in eight EU countries, which were selected to illustrate a range of socioeconomic and political contexts and geographical settings, from remote and peripheral regions to peri-urban locations.

These are: Övre Norrland, Sweden; County Roscommon, Ireland; Alytus county, Lithuania; Comarca de Verin, Spain; Goriška, Slovenia; Pomurska, Slovenia; Jihomoravskỳ kraj, Czech Republic; Westerkwartier, the Netherlands; Direktionsbezirk Dresden, Germany; and Saarland, Germany.

Who Will Benefit from DERREG?
The DERREG team are working with national and local stakeholders and other social scientists to advance existing scientific knowledge and produce practical recommendations for regional development strategies. Findings from DERREG will be disseminated to academic and non-academic audiences through a number of means including:

• Project Website
• Annual Newsletter
• Film
• Journal Articles
• Conference presentations
• Guest lectures
• Regional workshops and excursions
• Web-based resource centre
• Final dissemination event

Resources: