How do municipal strategies work in rural development: A critical realist case study

Abstract

Municipal strategies are important for rural localities, as from a governance perspective they pool resources and bring actors together in cooperation. For Finnish municipalities, the strategy is statutory, making it a potential tool in rural governance. Based on a political ethnographic case study in Finland, we ask: How do municipal strategies act as a means of rural development and what are the main obstacles and incentives in this endeavour? Applying critical realism, the research examines the causality of three mechanisms in municipal strategy work: the conception of rural potential, leadership and the municipal economy. Our study indicates that municipalities' development measures treat rural areas selectively, and villages do not yet appear as key agents in municipal strategy work. Strategy processes rest mostly on local leaders and rural development is restricted by the scarcity of municipal financial resources. To strengthen the role of municipalities in rural governance, greater strategic importance should be given to rural areas and their communities, and the strategy work in a municipality should be generally stabilised.