Bottom-up initiatives and revival in the face of rural decline: Case studies from China and Sweden

Abstract

a b s t r a c tIt is necessary for rural communities to meet conditions of decline, including depopulation, with effective strategies for rural revival and revitalisation. Based on Hirschman's 'exit-voice' theory, this paper investigates the way in which local stakeholders respond to processes of rural depopulation. Case studies undertaken in Xiaoguan village in China and in Åre in Sweden reveal the effectiveness of bottomup revitalization initiatives in combating rural decline. We show how local stakeholders' strong "voices" in these placesdwhich called for improved living conditions and increased job opportunitiesdheld people and groups together, encouraging them to work together with shared values and attitude. The strong leadership demonstrated either by local committees or in stakeholders' self-organized actions played an important role in carrying out revitalisation initiatives. We highlight the importance of not only reviving economies but also creating desirable rural lifestyles. Our findings also emphasize the need for bottom-up initiatives to align with government policy and regional development plans.

Revitalize the world’s countryside

“…Bottomup initiatives act as 'social glue' , encouraging people to work together 7 . For example, in 2012, the Xiaoguan village committee in China's northern Hebei province set up a sharebased cooperative for breeding sheep and cultivating vegetables.…”

Empirical Research on the Process of Land Resource-Asset-Capitalization—A Case Study of Yanba, Jiangjin District, Chongqing

“…Through this research, we sought to explore the realization process of land tickets and to enrich the empirical research on land resource-asset-capitalization.Sustainability 2020, 12, 1236 2 of 23 very limited due to the uneven development of its economy, the uneven distribution of its resources, and its large population base. At the same time, with the adjustment of China's macroeconomic policies and the changes in personal development intentions, increasingly more rural people have begun to leave the countryside for better development opportunities in cities [7][8][9][10]. However, due to limited land resources, a large amount of cultivated, high-quality land will inevitably be occupied to meet the needs of the increasing urban population in the process of China's urbanization.…”

An Initiators' Perspective on the Continuity of Citizens' Initiatives in Rural Areas

“…A plethora of concepts are used in reference to the voluntary work of citizens (Bock ; Bosworth et al ; Brandsen and Helderman ; Fazzi ; Kelly and Caputo ; Li et al ). In this paper, we use the term citizens' initiatives, which are defined as formally or informally organized groups of citizens who are active in and contribute to the public domain (de Haan, Haartsen, et al ; de Haan, Meier, et al ).…”