Economic Development of Rural Areas in Border Territories: Threats and Opportunities

Dear Colleagues,

Border regions are defined as those where part of their territory is delimited by an international border. These regions often have lower levels of development and economic activity. For example, in the Portuguese-Spanish border, rural areas on both sides of “the border” are characterized by their predominantly agricultural character, low population density, ageing human resources or income and skill levels below the respective national averages. In order to explain the lower level of development of this type of regions, it is essential to refer to their isolation, derived from a notable lack of communication infrastructures, or their remoteness from the main centres of economic activity and tourist demand in their respective countries.

The purpose of this special issue is to analyze the opportunities and threats facing rural and agricultural development strategies implemented in such areas. Approaching this issue from an international perspective can be very enriching. Sometimes, the aforementioned characteristics of these rural areas have resulted in a lower level of development which, in turn, has meant the preservation of a remarkable historical, artistic, cultural and environmental heritage that constitutes an asset of particular relevance for tourism development strategies. Contributions which, from a broad perspective, analyse the influence of the border itself on the development strategies of the regions involved will also be welcome.

Research lines: 

• Comparison of rural and agricultural development strategies in border areas. Analysis of the relevance of the border issue for these strategies
• Analysis of tourism development policies in these areas: border tourism, heritage tourism, tourism in natural areas.
• Relevance of communication infrastructures in the economic development of border regions: impact analysis, feasibility studies, projects of international interest.
• Singular Case Studies. Significant contributions of International Organisations to the economic development of these rural areas.

Prof. Dr. Francisco Javier Castellano-Álvarez
Prof. Dr. Paulo Ferreira
Prof. Dr. Luís Carlos Loures
Guest Editors

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• rural development
• agricultural development
• endogenous rural development programs
• heritage tourism
• frontier tourism
• rural tourism
• demographic challenge
• ageing
• infrastructures and economic development