This paper explores the evolution of rural policies in EU, making some comparisons with CEE rurality. In the first chapter I explore some theoretical concepts on how policies are transferred from one country to another, what a policy paradigm means and how it might change over time with special...

Agriculture has always played a key role in our society, it has changed and adapted during the years until now with the award of a multifunctional role of agriculture in the wider socio-economic context. Among the non-agricultural activities is the '"Social Agriculture" which, although not yet...

As borders become more open, regional production systems (RPSs) are tending to become increasingly specialised. In any given sector, two or three cities or regions compete on a global scale while other systems disappear. The specialised RPSs concentrate the know-how, the knowledge, the major...

The innovative milieu approach consists of exploring how and to which extent local environments contribute to the coherence and the competitiveness of production systems. In line with this work, the present paper explores the articulation of high value added services creation, regional...

Energy is linked to most of the major global challenges of the twenty-first century. Poverty eradication, climate change, ecosystem management, world health and security are all influenced by energy, its availability, cost, emissions and other impacts. Unfortunately, energy systems as currently...