Conference announcement and call for papers
RURAL ECONOMY AND SOCIETY STUDY GROUP
1999 ANNUAL CONFERENCE
14th 16th September 1999
The Lindisfarne Centre, Durham, UK
Rural Policy at the Crossroads
The theme for the 1999 Annual Conference of the Rural Economy and Society
Study Group is Rural Policy at the Crossroads. This year’s
conference theme has been chosen in recognition of the scale of current
and anticipated changes in rural development, environmental protection
and agricultural policies as they affect the countryside in the UK and
Europe. Rural policy currently stands at a crossroads; decisions
taken now at European, national and regional levels of government will
determine the shape and nature of rural economies, environments and
communities for decades to come. However, there is little consensus and a
host of questions about the practical consequences of policy shifts,
their day-to-day operation and their wider significance for the structure
and governance of rural areas.
The 1999 RESSG Conference will provide a forum for the exchange of
information, informed opinion and theoretical understanding between all
those with a professional or research interest in these rural
development, environmental protection and agricultural policy shifts and
their consequences.
The conference will address the following
themes:
- ·
The prospects for an integrated rural policy as a result of
Agenda 2000 and reforms of the Structural Funds and Common
Agricultural Policy.
· European Union expansion and its consequences for rural
development, environmental protection and agricultural policy across the
Member States.
· The significance of the new Regional Development Agencies
and a devolved governmental framework in Scotland and Wales for rural
development in the UK.
· The emerging role of the new Countryside Agency and the
evolving roles of environmental protection agencies and amenity
groups.
· Issues of governance, partnership, participation and
democracy within new rural institutional structures.
The conference will be structured around formal conference paper
presentations, key note addresses and more informal workshops on the
above themes.
Call for conference participation
To register your interest in the Rural Policy at
the Crossroads Conference, or to submit a paper or workshop presentation
for inclusion in the conference programme, please contact Dr Rachel
Woodward, Centre for Rural Economy, Department of Agricultural Economics
and Food Marketing, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, UK; Tel:
+44 (0) 191 222 8354; fax: +44 (0) 191 222 6720; email:
[log in to unmask]
The closing date for offers of conference papers or workshop
presentations will be
28th May 1999.
The conference programme will be available from
21st June 1999, and
bookings/payment will be taken after that date.
The Venue
The Rural Policy at the Crossroads Conference will be held at the
Lindisfarne Centre at St. Aidan’s College, Durham, UK. Anticipated
costs will be:
Full Conference Fee (inclusive of ensuite
accommodation and all meals): £130
Full Conference Fee (inclusive of standard
accommodation and all meals): £100
Postgraduate rate (inclusive of standard accommodation and all meals):
£80
Day rate (inclusive of lunch and refreshments): £20
About the Rural Economy and Society Study Group
The Rural Economy and Society Study Group (RESSG) is an informal
network of researchers and practitioners with a shared interest in the
economic, social and political issues affecting rural areas across
Britain and Europe. The aim of the RESSG is to draw on the
expertise of policy-makers, practitioners and researchers in order to
inform broader debates about rural change in advanced economies.
The group is inter-disciplinary in its make-up and approach. It
hosts an annual residential conference and a number of smaller
topic-specific meetings throughout the year.
For further information about the RESSG, please contact Dr Paul
Milbourne, Countryside Change Research Unit, Cheltenham and Gloucester
College of Higher Education, Swindon Road, Cheltenham, GL50 4AZ,
UK. Tel: +44 (0) 1242 543310; Fax: +44 (0)1242 543273; email:
[log in to unmask]; Web Page:
www.chelt.ac.uk/ccru/ressg
Dr Rachel Woodward
Research Fellow
Centre for Rural Economy
Department of Agricultural Economics and Food Marketing
University of Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 7RU
UK
Tel: +44 (0) 191 222 8354
Fax: +44 (0) 191 222 6720