factors for the establishment of Rural Studies network, of which two may be mentioned here. First, Finland is regarded to be … settlement structure. This "rurality" has led to a long tradition of rural research in several disciplines. Second, Finland's EU … when rural policy programmes were prepared. The system of higher education in Finland is under the spotlight of many …

The northern sparsely populated areas (NSPA) of Finland, Norway and Sweden are becoming increasingly important to the …