Local agency and development trajectories in a rural region

Abstract

ABSTRACT Employing a theoretical lens from the anthropology of development, this paper takes an actor-oriented approach to understand the socio-cultural context of regional path development in a peripheral rural region and the role of local agency, drawing on a qualitative case study of the Cradle Coast region of Tasmania, Australia. Findings demonstrate the value of bottom-up attention to the logics of regional actors to understand regional development trajectories and the emergence of new economic paths. Analysing the regional development logics and actions of local actors in particular contexts can reveal the mechanisms through which regions create new paths or reinforce old ones.