Rural Regions, Globalization and Regional Responses: The Case of Oberlausitz Region

Abstract

Rural regions are often described as being helplessly exposed to globalization and its local impacts. Across the globe, these regions are commonly represented as developing more slowly than urban agglomerations, and as being held back by competitive disadvantages. While the relatively weaker economic performance of rural regions is generally borne out by socio-economic data, the greater problem is that these perceptions translate into a discourse about rural regions that positions them as powerless in the face of external forces.