Place-based rural development and cooperative structures. An exploration of the Community Shares Model and its effects on rural communities

Prosser, Justyna 2021. Place-based rural development and cooperative structures. An exploration of the Community Shares Model and its effects on rural communities. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University. Item availability restricted.

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Abstract

This thesis seeks to provide a systematic articulation of the place-based rural development approach in the UK through the study of the cooperative structure, specifically the community shares model (CSM), which has recently re-emerged in rural places. The research seeks to understand the extent to which this cooperative structure can contribute towards more sustainable rural communities, The thesis examines the purpose behind setting up rural CSM cooperatives and choosing this model, as well as the nature and level of community inputs and outputs during the process of the establishment of CSM and the success factors behind the effective establishment of rural CSM cooperatives. The investigation was conducted through a multi-case study of six different rural social enterprises with CSM, four of which were based in Wales and two in England. The socio-economic changes in rural areas prompted renewed attention to a bottom-up and territorial approach in the practice of rural development. This new approach is often termed place-based development, and its main premise is that policy delivery mechanisms need to be tight to specific places in order to employ unutilised local resources (physical, social, and environmental), and allow rural communities to play a key role in steering the process. Nonetheless, not only was the practice of bottom-up strategies, such as rural partnerships, found to be an insufficient means of greater community control over local development, but also the necessity of being deeply rooted in places creates a dilemma for ability to replicate the potential delivery mechanisms. The research reveals that CSM offers real value for place-based rural development, because this cooperative structure allows localised effects (it is place-based), while being sufficiently flexible to allow replication with various assets and in various settings (it is not place-tied). For rural communities, CSM allows the real prospect of legal and psychological ownership of the local project, as well as exemplifying a successful community engagement tool. Nonetheless, to fully utilise CSM potential, certain conditions need to be met at the level of community, and tensions between the social and economic position need to be carefully managed. In addition, this study brings to our attention the often-overlooked importance of local institutional arrangements, including their design, in order for rural community development processes to occur. The above findings constitute a major empirical and conceptual contribution to the debates on sustainable rural community development.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Date Type:	Completion
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	Geography and Planning (GEOPL)
Subjects:	G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > G Geography (General)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Community Shares, Cooperatives, Rural community development, Place-based Rural Development, Sustainable rural communities, Rural development
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	1 November 2021
Last Modified:	04 Jan 2023 02:24
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/145218

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