Routledge The Reform of the CAP and Rural Development in Southern Europe (Perspectives on Rural Policy and Planning)

Product Description Today the use of the term countryside reflects a dual historical shift due to the decreasing importance of agriculture - both in terms of employment and production - in European economies and the shift toward the environment. An increasing part of rural populations is being drawn into non-agricultural sectors such as tourism, construction, manufacturing, and the conventional and innovative services, thereby granting a more diversified and contemporary role to the countryside. The environmental shift has questioned many of the very fundamental premises governing the relationship between social practices and nature. Agenda 2000 and the ongoing debate concerning the CAP reforms are connected to a large extent with these new realities. This engaging book focuses on the prospects for the development of the Southern European countryside during a transitional period of a major policy paradigm shift. Bringing together case studies from Portugal, Spain, France, Italy and Greece, the book discusses the key issues mentioned above, as well as the restricting factors and prospects of the adjustments required. Review ’This collection brings together some of the liveliest minds in European rural sociology, and focuses on one of the most important issues. Building on national-level research the volume as a whole provides a welcome introduction to the problems of rural sustainability in Southern Europe today.’ Michael Redclift, King’s College, London ’...the book successfully groups together five empirically based Southern European country studiesto provide a comprehensive analysis of the restructuring processes...Michael Demoussis provides a detailed evaluation of the major aspects of Greek agriculture and considers options for a comprehensive development strategy for the Greek countryside...’ Journal of Contemporary European Studies ’...provides a valuable and a comprehensive insight into the CAP’s rural policies by presenting national, regional, and local programmes, focusing on how they affect socioeconomic and sociological structures in the administration and control of rural development.’ The European Legacy About the Author Charalambos Kasimis, Professor in Rural sociology, Department of Economics, University of Patras, Greece George Stathakis, Associate Professor in Political Economy, Department of Economics, University of Crete, Greece